Dream - 2008

A faun, a mythological creature who is part man and part horse or goat, is sleeping under a tree in the hot summer sun in Sicily. He is dreaming about nymphs, the beautiful mythological maidens who inhabit and nourish rivers, forests, and mountains. He is cutting reeds for a reed pipe to play for the nymphs. He sees undulations in the water of a lake. Nymphs appear from the water. They run away when he plays his pipes. He speaks, 'Farewell. Farewell. I shall see the shadow you became. Did I love a dream?' He sees a nymph who runs away. He runs after her. When he reaches her, they dance together. She then runs away. He enjoys thinking about her. She was a dream. He hopes to attain her in the future. He whispers, 'Farewell. I shall see the shadow you became. Did I love a dream? Did I love a dream?' The narrative is an allegory about the creative process. The film is actually a representation of art and the artist. The reverie about a nymph and making and playing a flute to attract her is an expression of the creative act. Although he is unfulfilled in his quest to attain the nymph, the faun is invigorated by the dream of her to continue in his quest for her. He is happy with the dream of his muse. He can imagine what joy he will experience when he attains her in real life. The film is based on L’après-midi d’un faune [The afternoon of a faun], a poem by Stéphane Mallarmé published in Paris, France, in 1876. This poem has subsequently stimulated the creation of many works of art. In 1894, Claude Debussy composed Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune [Prelude to the afternoon of a faun] for orchestra. The musical composition is a representation through sound of the images described in the poem. The music has then been set for ballets by many choreographers. Instead of setting the music to dance, I sought to set the poetry to dance.