Diochante, instalation, Eleusinian mysteries, Διοχάντη, Ελευσίνα 2010 - YouTube pslogge

Enter. Do not be afraid. Let me be your guide to this initiation in the Eleusinian mysteries, following the artistic path. An emotionnal rebirth is at stake here. Eleusinian mysteries were iniation ceremonies of greatest importance in ancient Greece, held annually for the cult of Demeter and Persephone in the city of Eleusis (έλευσις=arrival). A mostly secret initiation, established maybe before 1500 B.C. and aiming to unite the worshipper with the divine, to make him familiar with the powers and the dark sides hidden in him. To conciliate him with death. There was no knowledge to be transmitted. It was more about an emotionnal experience, a transmission or realisation of the ineffable. To endure a transformative rebirth. This is where we are invited by the art of Diochante (=Diofante? =the one who reveals god Zeus). Diochante is a greek painter--sculptor. She speaks to the media about her art with an eloquent silence. A welcoming person in her direct contact with people. Sometimes she offers raki as a remedy to the cold of the night of the deserted factory, or maybe she just remembered kykeon (κυκεών)? She is interested in reconstructing envirronments through the relations between space and time. Her instalation, presented in the video, is an "in situ" work created in 8 chambers of an old olive oil factory in Eleusis which was transformed into an exposition area. She used different elements, materials, sounds, lights. Her materials were debris, stones, wood, bricks, cement, concrete blocks, soil and water. All found "in situ". We may think that Diochante feels close to the arte povera area but she does not seem to neglect Brancusi who tried to reach the most elementary forms, freeing them from superficial appearences in order to reveal the intrinsic beauty of the material. The essence, in other words. Diochante allowed to take photos and published them. Composer Stefanos Barbalias trusted his music-sound material to me. They seem to realize that once their work is done it belongs to us, the recipients. Could it be that this is real art? Audiovisual consultants of the instalation: Antonis Gadgouyannis, Makis Faros. Technical consultant: art @gavrilos So, I took my photos on October the 31rst, 2010, pushing my dear camera to its limits. I worked on them. Stefanos Barbalias e-mailed me his soundtracks. I edited his music. I wrote the texts (I know it is silly to have texts in an initiation process/emotionnal procedure but my thoughts were the only way to master my fear).Then prepared the video, slowly, during November 2010. I had a great time, but I fear that the video is a really pale reminiscence of what I experienced at the exposition. I know that lots of my friends are going to freak out when they view the video. The contact with extreme emotions and primary experiences is the reason. But it is ok. You will be stronger. Do not be afraid. You will see the light. Exit.

Diochante, instalation, Eleusinian mysteries, Διοχάντη, Ελευσίνα 2010 - YouTube
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Education	Upload TimePublished on 6 Dec 2010