Pygmalion was a Cypriot sculptor who created an ivory statue of a woman. He had romantic offers from women within his city, however he was never interested. The way he formed this statue was so realistic and beautiful that he fell in love with her. During Aphrodite’s festival made offerings to her and because of his embarrassment of falling in love with his statue, he timidly wished for a companion and bride to be “the living likeness of my ivory girl.” (Miles, 2002, 326) When at home, Pygmalion kissed his statue and noticed her lips were warm. His wish was granted and they eventually marry under Aphrodite’s blessing.
Performance ideas- With this Greek mythology in mind we thought about creating a 3D projection to present a figure of either a woman or men to dance o9r interact with a statue. We hope to but emphasis on the beauty of the statue as well as the love building between the statue and human.
Works cited: Miles, G. (2002) Classical Mythology in English Literature: A Critical Anthology. London; Routledge.
Image from: http://thanasis.com/pygm03b.jpg
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