The Nereids

In her performance The Nereids, Isabella Fürnkäs takes up the image of a water nymph at the fountain, based on a Lamento della ninfa by Monteverdi. She addresses the exploitation of the nymph and its association as an eternal source of fertility. The performance takes place in the castle park in an octagonal pool filled with reddish water, reminiscent of a fountain. The performer plays a glass flute and, in interaction with the artist, presents a text written by Isabella Fürnkäs. Both the costumes designed by Minji Park and the facade of the pool are decorated with images of nymphs and satyrs. At the beginning, the audience receives coins, which they throw into the pool at the end of the performance to make a wish.

- Text by Paula Thiel

[Narrator]

The sea nymphs symbolize everything that is beautiful and kind about the sea. The Nereids are sea nymphs that are female spirits of sea waters. Nereus literally means ‘notmistaking‘, ‘clear’, or ‘true’. Their melodious voices sing as they dance around their territories. They are represented as beautiful young creatures, that are close to natural spirits.

—

[Performer]

Fill me up
Like a cup
I’m your mistress You’re my food
I’m your guide
To the darkness Into the light
My sacred pool Drowning my essence Make me a fool Ripples of ruin Echo in my soul
As innocence
And purity they stole
I wore
The cloak
Of their fantasies Stripped
Of my spirit Brought to my knees Once revered, Now consumed by their greed,
Fruitful essence Tainted by their need. Fill me up
I’m like a cup
Fill me up
Fill me up

—

[Narrator]

The Nereid often accompanies Poseidon, the god of the sea. They are labeled as the 50 daughters of the Old Man of the Sea, Nereus, where they dance around their father.

[Performer]

I shimmer with grace Nature’s embrace A mirror
For everyone Who dares
To look
My innocence Eaten by
Their twisted games Desiring eyes Like haunting flames

—

[Narrator]

The Nereids represent desire, longing, yearning, wishfulness, aspiration, fertility, freshness, fruitfulness, richness, temptation, excitement, seduction, sensibility, sensuality, animalism, innocence, virginity, naïveté, greenness, purity, spirituality, wetness.

—

[Performer]

Drowning
In their desires unchained My essence scarred My spirit painted Bloodred.
The storms of lust Burning
From innocence
To guilt
I was led astray,
My essence tarnished
a price
I’d pay.

—

[Narrator]

But what is the issue? What could go wrong? We delve into the depths of a water nymph’s heart. A mythical being entwined with the tranquil embrace of water, who shares her heart-wrenching tale of enduring the weight of male desires turned destructive. What is the result? Enchantment and Betrayal