Here in the northern hemisphere it’s the wrong time of year to be cavorting in the open air with your clothes off for any length of time. In warmer months the people behind Satyriconte—who were in touch earlier this week—do just this as an exploration of what they call “the contemporary tale of a satyre”:
Satyriconte is a mix of two french words: satire and tale.
It’s a way to connect with Satyricon, this so old novel written by Petrone.
It’s a road we decided to follow to inquire our world according this point of view.The Satyriconte project is a photo research around the filthy presence in our occidental civilisation.
So many years of education
……….and still
we can feel the Satire shadow in our daily life.What about this Satire in our days :
……….Is it washed by our porn torrent ?
……….Is it perfumed and well dressed ?
……….Is it the breath of our parents while they exchange their flesh ?
……….Is it our animal side ? (more)
In addition to photos there are drawings and a request for assistance of various kinds, from help staging photo shoots to critical opinion of the project. I’d not-so-helpfully suggest that a contemporary satyr ought to have prosthetic legs (like those used by some paralympic athletes) which give the wearer a suitably goatish appearance.
For more traditional representations of Hermes, Pan, satyrs and fauns this page has plenty of choice examples.
Previously on { feuilleton }
• The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
• The Great God Pan
• Peake’s Pan
I was watching a group performing in the National Gallery in Prague a couple of years ago, with one actor in the role of a faun, bouncing around on spring-loaded goat-foot-god leg extenders:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6vHsCBOvwQk/ToRBNg7ExqI/AAAAAAAACi8/tp9JjhEO8fU/s1600/leg2.JPG
Closeup of the feet. They had an endearingly hand-made appearance.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HOIAkSQVSZM/ToRBNGiTW-I/AAAAAAAACi0/rOK66EpUVYk/s1600/leg1.JPG
Yes, that’s exactly what I had in mind!
I’m all for nipping about in the woods and parks naked, but for my money, Matthew Barney has done the satyr (albeit formalized and emasculated as they are) thing best so far – back in 1993 – in his Drawing Restraint 7. Lots of photos out there, but don’t know if the complete performance is available online…he presents a nicely turned hoof to the audience…