Page 22 - HelensDress_notebook

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Myths are like the stars in the night, tiny lights in the dark sky, that talk to us about the past, the present, and possible futures. dots that have been connected to form various constellations. is it possible
the most beautiful woman, wealthy and powerful; a skillful weaver and embroiderer, a strong woman and soeceress; daughter of a queen, a king and a god; a heroine, confidante and cheater; a wife, lover, mother, widow and slut; a male fantasy, scapegoat, projection and idol; a war victim, survivor, hostage. in the end, defeated.
We all love love stories, don't we? kiss and escape. only love matters, right? immortal love, killing thousands, destroying whole cities. Love hurts. it’s Helen’s fault, that's for sure! you can't trust women. but the person who sent thousand ships to Troy was not Helen, it was Menelaos; he wanted to possess her, and her power. How many men do you need to defeat a woman? The greatest love story of all times only covers the violent takeover of patriarchy.
to reconnect these dots in a different way, to draw new maps, give new directions?
We had to travel in our minds, a very classic approach: so many artists tried to become Greek in spirit. five days to investigate, to sketch, to talk, to fantasize about the myth of Helen, merging Spain and Greece.
How to turn a queen into a housewife? it gets personal, as is so often the case thinking about myths. The exercises added one piece at a time: choose a word, a movement, a thing, some textiles, a scenery - blue, bow, a bowl, a fishing vest and a mosquito net. The Mediterranean sea in front of my terrace and some words, all ingredients for my first short performance. i am Helen, the goddess of the moon, always traveling. Can you carry the moon in a bowl? i am well equipped with a fishing vest and a mosquito net, that turns into a veil, a waterfall, a cloud. Magic. A salad bowl rises. An old bed cover and a pack of pins transform into Helen's divine dress.
Who is Helen? Who is she for me? The best of women, the worst of women. Queen of Sparta; a moon goddess, or at least an embodiment of the moon goddess, connected to Artemis; a traveller, stranger, guest;
Nothing could stop new experiences and encounters and, i am sure, one day i will walk through the alleys of Vamvakou.