Artist’s statement:This film began as a study of two parts of my own identity – my being a woman, and my being visually impaired. Like all ancient myths, the tale of Athena and Tiresias has a slightly different shape depending on your source, but each time I came across any version of it, I felt a distinct connection to both sides of the story. I wanted this poem to live in both characters, and to have the chance to explore these elements of myself through each of them. With Tiresias in particular, I was conscious of the fact that his story has probably had great influence over the cultural perception of blindness, which is often still believed to be a disability conjured a response to past evil behaviour.
The film was created (largely remotely) during Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020. Having the opportunity to work collaboratively with brilliant people despite these restrictions, was a glint of joy. Director Douglas Tyrrell Bunge took meticulous care of the poem, using its images as building blocks to create a beautiful, uncanny, and full world. Dancers Anu Walters and Douglas Reddan delved into the complexities of the two mythical figures. Electronic musician Lord of the Isles and sound designer Alan Colthart created a thread that wove every element together. The nature in which the film was created brought new meaning to the outcome on top of the original thinking behind the poem – it became even more about the ways we tell stories, and the way that these stories can move when they become collective, rather than individual.
