The Birth of Venus / performance

“The Birth of Venus” is a series of works in which I explore the tensions between dreams and reality, between what’s on the surface and what’s hidden inside. The title refers to the iconographic motif in which the goddess of love emerges from the sea foam. I began the project in 2023 during a residency at the Jerzy Grotowski Institute in Wrocław, as part of “Szczeliny – Women in the Performing Arts festival”. Since then, I have created a series of performances and video works. The costume I wear transforms me into the figure of a woman – a princess. My temporary outfit appears and disappears during the performance because the dress I wear is made of soluble fabric, which is deconstructed through various treatments and situations.

The performance, presented at the City Culture Institute in Gdańsk, consisted of two parts.
In the firstpart, I created a costume out of transparent fabric, like a screen suspended in a darkened space. The projection displayed on this airy material was a layered video collage, created from documentation of previous works and a repeating image of ocean waves. In the video, the performer sews her costume, constructing her appearance. I repeat the same activity on stage, using the screen as my material. I finish my transformation and watch the projection, which shows a figure running into the sea. The waves dissolve and wash away the dress.
The second phase is the deconstruction of the costume. Through a long, thin, transparent tube, I blow into a container filled with water and dishwashing liquid. The container seems to come to life, budding, foaming, and the foam coming out of it dissolves my outfit. The performance lasted as long as I had the strength to blow.