Imagining Her, Rhodes (2023)

These stills capture moments from Imagining Her, a video performance created for the Reclaiming the Mythical Feminine program at Anima Mundi School, in Amsterdam.

The performance explores a transformative encounter with the sacred feminine in the ruins of a church on the island of Rhodes, Greece. Imagine moving through a ruined church, guided by intuition and the whispers of the unseen. This is the essence of "Imagining Her" where silence becomes a canvas for inner visions.

The accompanying spoken word piece describes a powerful vision: the dark Madonna filling the church with her presence. These stills offer a glimpse into this transformative encounter, inviting contemplation on the mysteries of the feminine divine.

“When I was in the ruins of the church, I moved my body into the space, walked in silence or with silence, and let images fill me. Sometimes there was nothing, but I kept moving or being moved and then an image appeared: I heard the waves of the night sea and then I saw Her dark waters filling the church. The water entered the space filling the cracks, and I felt the presence of the dark Madonna grounding this place with Mystery. I kept moving even after the image was gone, but when I left the space, it felt as if a ritual had taken place. I felt refreshed and excited. This place is different now in my mind, and I hope that a passing tourist will stop and hear the waves of the night sea and might feel Her presence too; because I brought Her into this space or she wanted to enter through me imagining Her.”

Copyright ⓒ 2023 Maria Stella Lydaki