ALEKSANDRA
KAMINSKA
I’m an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the Université de Montréal, working in media studies, media arts, and research-creation. I work primarily at the intersection of media aesthetics, material and visual cultures, and history and philosophy of science and technology. In this project, I’m interested in questions such as how we design for and record sleep, what it means to understand sleep disorders as invisible disabilities, and what we can learn from popular and cultural treatments of sleep/disorders.
In addition to this project on sleep, I’m currently writing a book on High-Tech Paper: Security Printing and the Aesthetics of Trust. I’ve published some of this work in Theory & Society, Convergence and Intermédialités. I’ve worked on a number of edited collections, including recently as co-editor of an issue of PUBLIC Journal on “Biometrics: Mediating Bodies” (2020) and of an issue of the Canadian Journal of Communication on “Materials and Media of Infrastructure” (2021). I’m a founding co-director of the Artefact Lab in media studies, the Bricolab space for research-creation and making, and co-founder of the international working group PaperologyRAG.
Q & A
How would you describe your relationship to sleep?
Newly complicated, top-of-mind, love-hate.
Why do you find sleep a compelling site for research?
Because we all do it (and often, poorly), yet there is still so much work to be done in terms of scientific understanding, social support, cultural exploration, technological history, policy, representational redress—you name it. Because I’ve always been compelled by topics that are slightly at the margins, and that bring attention or challenge things we take for granted. Because there is so much about individual and social experience to unravel by thinking about sleep.
What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about sleep?
I think people who sleep well underestimate the impact poor sleep has on those for whom it’s a chronic struggle and/or disability. That the only impact of poor sleep or of a sleep condition is fatigue. That sleep issues are relegated to night. That everyone’s problems can be solved with good “sleep hygiene.”
Are you an early bird or night owl?
Early bird.
Do you enjoy taking naps? Why / why not?
In everyday life, the lead up is a drag, the beginning and middle often delightful, but the ending is almost always brutal. I enjoy vacation napping though, especially on a beach or under some leafy trees, or after a very long walk.
What is the strangest place you have ever fallen asleep?
I have a long list to choose from (see below), but falling asleep while walking probably takes the cake. It’s “only” happened a handful of times, but it is a very strange experience to say the least!
Can you sleep "anywhere anytime" or do you need the comfort of your own bed to sleep well?
Anywhere, anytime.