A yawn refuses containment and momentarily jolts us into its spell. With an array of theories on causes— the transition between unconscious and conscious activity, a powerfully contagious signal of boredom or exhaustion, an alert from the brain to the body to inhale more oxygen— a yawn is an involuntary, uncontrollable muscle spasm that carries what is undefinable beyond containment and into awareness, creating a portal to new consciousnesses.

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In this way, Dust That Lay explores the fleeting thoughts, inscrutable dreams, and fragmented memories that seep through subconscious containment and glisten through the veil of reality. Herman Aguirre, Diana Noh, and Skyler Simpson explore the unresolved detritus of the past as foundational for forming knowledge that can radically shift understandings of personal identity and how we navigate our shared reality.