Dreams are safe. Waking is responsibility. The date, just after Christmas and the failed apocalypse, suggests a mourning for the end of childhood wonder. The baby resists waking, blinks slowly, then screams – a primal response to the 21st century’s horrors (Sandy Hook shooting had occurred just 13 days prior, on Dec 14, 2012).
– In avant-garde circles, "X" denotes the unknown, the variable, the cross, or the kiss. "Xart" could therefore mean "cross-art" or "unknown art." Many digital artists in the early 2010s used such naming conventions for low-resolution video files. xartbabywakingupfromadream27122012
If you are the creator or owner of this file, know that your obscure naming choice sparked a long meditation on art, time, and consciousness. Consider uploading it – even for a day – so that the baby might finally wake up for all of us. Dreams are safe
Xart looked up at their mother, still trying to shake off the haze of the dream. They couldn't quite remember what they had dreamed about, but they felt a bit unsettled. The baby resists waking, blinks slowly, then screams