The Pool of Memory

A new painting "The Pool of Memory" from the "Streams" series by Joan Levy Hepburn will be the backdrop and subject of a collaboration with CT Ballet and musical composers and guitarists Joe Bouchard and Kevin O'Neil. The original painting is 42 x 180 inches and made of charcoal, gold leaf and oil paint on layered vellum.  The dancers' costumes, which were also painted by Joan refer to the cave paintings in the foundational layer of the Stream series, and seem to release the drawings from their wall and bring them to life in the spacial world by the dancers. 

Dionysian myths are the basis of the narrative content of the painting.  When Dionysus went to Hades he found gold leaves with instructions to drink from the Pool of Memory, so that he could remember his past life and be reincarnated out of Hades.  The Pool of Memory was made by Mnemosyne, whose name means memory.  She was a Titan Goddess who procreated with Zeus to produce The Muses.  So this is also a metaphor for going into the deep unknown in consciousness and finding the Muse and giving birth to a new creation.  

The metallic gold leaf shapes pasted to the foundational layer of the artwork also refer to the Dionysian myth of King Midas.  When the king found Dionysus' mentor in a drunken state he took him home to sober him up and returned him to Dionysus.  To thank King Midas for his good deed he offered to grant him any wish. King Midas asked for everything he touched to be turned to gold.  After touching his wife, children and food he realized that he had made a grave mistake and asked Dionysus to undo the curse.  Dionysus told him to go to the river and wash his hands in the water and the river would take on his wish.  From then on the stream bed contained "fools gold" which was made into currency.

In the Spring when the cold water rushes through the stream it scrubs the stream bed clean and it sparkles like gold in the sunlight reflecting off amber stones.  The color and light is aesthetically beautiful.  It seems to me that the reality of the beauty in the actual landscape combined with the Dionysus myth suggests that mankind should preserve the planet by not over mining its natural resources. Through creative engineering it could be possible to preserve the planet for future generations.

CT BALLET SHOWCASE DATES: all free!
Tuesday, July 14th - 7:00pm Levitt Pavillion for the Performing Arts, 40 Jesup Road, Westport

Saturday, July 18th - 7:30pm Riverfront Recapture,
Mortensen Riverfront Plaza, Hartford

Saturday, July 25th - 6:30pm Elizabeth Park Conservancy
1561 Asylum Ave., West Hartford

Saturday, August 1st - 7:30pm Middlesex Community College
in the grove behind Wheaton Hall
100 Training Hill Rd., Middletown