'A Midsummer Night's Dream - HIPPOLYTA's Dissappearance'
film a video & sound installation & performance in the works Concept/Video/Sound/installation/performance by Karola Lüttringhaus This film consists of footage from the live performance of 'Midsummer Night's Dream - Dissected' and the video used for that particular section in the piece. This video is projected onto the loading dock door of a warehouse, the door is opened just a sliver, revealing a hint of a person, Hippolyta, in the space behind. The video and soundtrack is also part of an installation. This piece is inspired by the opening scene of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by William Shakespeare: Theseus conquers Hippolyta the Amazon Queen and the two are now to be married in four days. The play begins with the dialogue between them discussing the quickly approaching nuptial hour. Questioning gender roles, this work contemplates the suppression of Hippolyta, as a metaphor for women's centuries long struggle to regain authority and autonomy over their bodies as well as positions of power in society. Hippolyta's fate outlines the core of my interpretation of the play. Women lost and have been denied what we can sum up as 'Hippolyta', to be accepted as aggressors, strong, physically dominant, etc. A complete pool of emotions and characteristics, available to each individual irregardless of gender has been split into male and female sides. Women are still struggling to step outside of the predominately caring, nurturing, sweet, gentle and passive stereotype. Women's lib has been struggling to get Hippolyta back onto the scene. |