Has anyone seen this statue?

Cool sketch! But I think you might be confusing dream memories with waking memories. Our brains are really good at creating false memories, especially when we see something that "fits" with our existing mental images. You probably saw a picture of that statue somewhere before - a postcard, a documentary, whatever - and your subconscious incorporated it.

I thought about that. But I've checked - I don't think there are any famous photos of this particular statue. It's not one of the major landmarks. And the sketch I'm showing is from six months ago. I dated all my dream journals.

That white city you're describing sounds a lot like some recurring dreams I've had. Not the statue specifically, but... white buildings on a hillside? Near the ocean? Sometimes I'm walking through narrow streets and everything has this quality like it's made of light.

Probably just a common dream archetype though. Mediterranean vibes, you know?

Yeah, it could be archetypes. But the specificity is what gets me. Not just "white city by ocean" but specific street layouts, specific buildings I keep returning to. Do you ever dream of going inside the larger structures? There's one that feels like... I don't know, a combination of a library and a cathedral?

Actually... yeah. Sort of. There's a place I go sometimes that's full of books but the architecture is strange. Curved walls. Writing I can't read. I usually wake up before I can explore much.

This is freaking me out a little.

Classic case of pattern-matching + confirmation bias. You have vivid dreams of an imaginary city. You move to a new place, see a random statue, and your brain retroactively makes it "fit" your dream memories. The details you're "remembering" in your drawings are probably being filled in NOW based on what you saw.

Unless you're claiming to have photographed your sketchbook before visiting the statue? With a verified date stamp?

I don't have photographic proof, no. Just my dated sketchbooks. I know that's not scientific evidence. I'm not trying to prove anything - I'm just asking if anyone else has had similar experiences. Because if this is all pattern-matching in my own head, fine. But if other people have also dreamed of this statue, or this city, that would mean something.

I just created an account to reply to this.

I've never seen that specific statue, and I'm on the other side of the country (California). But the city you're describing... I've been there. Or somewhere like it. White buildings, mountain behind, sea in front. The plaza with the robed figures. The sense that it's old, ancient, but also alive.

I always thought it was just my subconscious processing Mediterranean imagery from travel documentaries. But your description has too many overlaps.

Do you ever see festivals there? Events where the whole city seems to transform?

Yes! There are festivals. One where the sky seems to drip colors. One where things come out of the ocean - not scary, beautiful. I thought that was just my brain adding fantasy elements.

DM me? I'd love to compare notes.

This is a fascinating thread, and I hope you don't mind a more academically-inclined response.

I'm a graduate student at Brown, just across the river from RISD. My research touches on consciousness, memory formation, and altered states - including dreaming. I've been collecting accounts of what I call "persistent dream locations" - places people return to repeatedly across many dreams, with consistent geography and even consistent inhabitants.

Your account is unusually detailed and specific. The existence of a physical correlate (the statue) is intriguing, though as others have noted, it doesn't prove anything by itself.

I'd be interested in seeing your sketchbooks and dream journals, if you're willing. Not to debunk - to document. I'm not interested in proving or disproving anything; I'm interested in understanding what's happening phenomenologically.

If you're open to it, we could meet for coffee. I'd also like to photograph the statue myself.

A serious researcher! Yes, absolutely. I'd love to show you what I have. I'll DM you my email.

And honestly, just having someone take this seriously instead of immediately dismissing it means a lot. Even if it turns out to be nothing, at least it'll be interesting nothing.