BODY
Artemis is an archetype with which I identify a lot and I am very fascinated. I am constantly looking for this energy in different moments of my life: I’ve fought kung fu and capoeira, I’ve lived abroad more than once, I like to travel alone. This archetype inhabits my psyche and causes me admiration.
If you want to know more about Artemis’ myth and archetype click here.
The research for Artemis movements began within these fields that are known for me: capoeira, kung fu, freedom, self-sufficiency. It was an internal dive into movements that are familiar to me, that live in my body memory and that I could lend them to Artemis.
Capoeira as a movement inspiration for Artemis.
This was an archetype that I had the opportunity to work on a greater number of rehearsals, as I felt a strong connection and wanted to improve the movements. In December, I connected the archetypes to different parts of the body and for Artemis came to me a strong connection with the members of the body (arms and legs). Thus she is a hunter and uses her legs a lot to run and her arms to hunt and or to defend “her own”.
In January, I worked on decomposing the movements: observing small (only with the head, with the bust or with the hips) and observing large (with the whole body). And I also worked with dynamo-rhythms and triple-designs (created by Ettiene Decroux of corporal mime. Which give different qualities and rhythms to the movements).
MUSIC AND BODY
Artemis was an archetype which had numerous versions of music. Bobby Locke (the composer) worked hard to improve Artemis’ song.
We discussed about this image of the ancestral/tribal that Artemis’ archetype awakens us. So, in October, Bobby composed a first version of the song with many drums, which became the basis for the final song. The effects which give the music different colors came in a second version that Bobby sent to me in December. And in January he reworked on making those effects more powerful and clear.
The relationship between music and body was something that I have worked on in different ways. At first, there was a very strong relationship between the body and the outside environment, as if something outside threatened me. In a second moment, as from provocations made by the artists Jessica Paes and Daniela Miranda, I started to work with the prey-hunter relationship, as if in fact there was an environment (or someone) to be protected.
I also thought of ways to play with the sound interferences that appear in the music: are they the hunt? Are they the threat? Are they the feeling of achievement and freedom? Questions that can be answered by the spectator when watching the video. (link at the end of the post)
VIDEO AND BODY
This video, in my opinion, is the most interesting one in the recording process. I had commented with the director of the videos, Cybele Washington, about my desire for us to film it in a broader shot (maybe a camera from above), but at the same time I didn’t want the environment in which we were filming (the theater) to appear. I wanted the spectators to have the impression that they were in an open space, walking with Artemis through that unknown.
In February, when I was already in Brazil (where we shoot the videos) I made a video call with Cybele and we had commented on the possibility of filming Artemis on a moving tripod. Thus that the image would be stable but would have a mobility to follow my movements in space.
Me and Vinicius Popoh, the camera man, during the shooting in Espaço Cia da Revista, Brazil.
On the shooting day Cybele’s partner, Vinicius Popoh, had brought a pair of roller skates and they asked me if we could test shooting on them. Of course I accepted the challenge! The director Cybele, the assistant camera Natália and the producer Jessica who were watching the filming reported that it gave a “chill in the spine” every time Vinicius picked up speed and came towards my movements. It was a wonderful experience, because in addition to the choreography that I had created a new dance was created between me and the cameraman that only those present were able to watch.
Curiosity:
I did a music search before inviting composer Bobby to be part of the process. I found some really cool songs that I associated with the goddesses. For Artemis I found two songs:
Free Body (Bruno Rafael - translation Gabriela Segato) The game is to balance My head in the clouds Feet on the ground And heart in the world Every day dive Dive deeply into nothing Nothing prevents The arms of being wings Flying without knowing where Travel that doesn't end Searching In the eye of the horizon The missing piece in me
Artemisia (Salma Jo - translation Gabriela Segato) It won't be born Because I don't want Because I don't want and myself just not wanting is enough It won't live Because I live I am the living god Your reason to be From a plague to a tea You know India, you know chemistry That your disincarnate It's of my nature It's of my architecture It's of my will
Here is my video of Artemis:
To avoid having to repeat always the same thing in every post I recommmend reading this post about the context of my research and in what moment I am at.
Gabriela Segato 