Pauline P. Raybaud
Lillies
Lilies Of - Performative series -
Performance, photographs, films, installation and narrative poems.
May 2019
Performers - Marah J. Jah, Rachael Harrison, Pauline P. Raybaud, Anastasia Solay, Tanya Chiwara.
Costumes by Kelsey Dikes
Directed, Choreographed, Scripted by P. Raybaud.
Born through a long dialogue between the performers, their stories and the photographic eye, the series of Lillies reinvents the mythological poem of Greek poet Hesiode. Here, the mystical story of humanity's creation is revisited with nowadays eye, narrating through five women's stories their link with past generation and roots seeking. Each one gives a new temporality to a universal history. Which runs from their body into the movement created by the analogue lens.
In the XVIIIth century before J-C , the greek Hesiode concealed the various sources and beliefs of the birth of the Ages, distinguishing four times:
- The Age of Gold: eternal spring, spontaneity, without rules because without burdens, free, just, honest. Ignores the wounds of trattorie, abandon, reject, humiliation and injustice. Ignores the burden of work. But soon its harmony will become a source of duality with the birth of mankind.
Interpreted by Anastasia Solay.
- The Age of Silver: inferior generation, born from the wound of injustice and the need to tell. Refuses the worship its past, doesn’t respect memory because had to place itself as the center of its surviving.
Interpreted by Tanya Chiwara.
- The Age of Bronze: an age that had to be torn appart from it's roots even more than its ancestors, but aware, and asking for answers to the sky. But the questioning gathers into fighting for the right answer. The Age finishes by destroying itself because of pride and wounds from loosing its history.
Interpreted by Marah Haj.
- The Age of The Heroes: trying to balance its predecessor, looking back to the first generation and try to seek for answers. They are half gods and half humans, trying to generate a recognition for their being, filled with the quest for honor. But their battle for recognition finishes by destroying them, and the link with the first generation is forever broken.
Interpreted by Rachel Harrison.
- The Present of Hesiode is a time where all of the previous wounds are still left open, born in pain and sorrow, burdens work and ignorance, corruption, suffering. Detached from previous roots and beliefs, it is said this time won't even be scared of the vengeance of the gods, that they can’t connect to no more.
This time is now and this time is alone, no one above nor under enters in consideration, even the last gods Nemenis and Pudeur are on their way to leave the earth, with a heavy soul and eyes closed on what they can’t support.
Interpreted by Pauline Raybaud.
The Futur time of now is said, still in regard to the mythology of Hesiode, to be the even more negative counterpart of the Present, a time where each man is disconnected not only to its golden past, but also from any previous learning and ancestors, not even knowing the meaning of worship and humility, not even able to locate its been in regard to the living up and under earth.
These times are the subjects contained in the Box, the photographs, the nature of the text, the movements and the use of space, confined and restricted to its materiality.
This project led to a live performance at CSM London, Mai 2019.