Water
This week I have made some rather drastic changes to the
path I would like my performance to take. I have decided that instead of
presenting fiction as fact in a modern-day setting, that I will simply perform a form of
an old folktale, combining storytelling, physical theatre, and monologue. As
storytelling is so deeply entwined with cultural and individual identity, I
feel as though this shouldn’t render my previous work and research that I have
done on the module irrelevant. I continue to use Steffan Donnelly's "My Body Welsh" as my main inspiration.
I plan to still remain focused on the aspect and presentation of water in mythology. As water is often portrayed in many cultures as a feminine element, and thereby often presented as a symbol of femininity, I think it would be interesting to look into this more, perhaps even exploring the relationship between gender and identity. In an essay by Viola Perente-Čapková, the author states that "in art and literature, women and water are tightly connected", which seems especially true in Celtic mythology. The connection is further explored by Carles-Enric Fernandez in his essay about the legends of the lakes of Wales, in which he makes the point that it seems as though almost all the lakes in Wales have some connection to the Gwragedd Annwn - a fairy race resembling the nymphs of Greek mythology, often believed to represent the old Goddesses of the Celtic pantheon who were later demonised and relegated to the status of "fairies" with the rise of Christianity. I feel as though I would like to research this more, incorporating aspects of such ideas into my piece.
- Viola Perente-Čapková, "Narcissuses, Medusas, Ophelias... Water Imagery And Femininity", http://webhost1.cortland.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/parente.pdf
- Carles-Enric Fernandez, "Legends of the Lakes of Wales: Thematic Classification and Analysis", http://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/381/1/CARLES%20FERNANDEZ.pdf
- Wirt Sykes, "British Goblins", Chapter 3: Lake Fairies, accessed online at http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/wfl/wfl03.htm
- Robinson, Tara. and Donnelly, Steffan. My Body Welsh, [London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2017]
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