As she slumbers, Ariadne's chest starts to move up and down as her lungs expand and deflate during her rest. Look carefully- the snake wrapped around her arm flicks its tail- he too is alive. Her body is flooded with bright colors as well as she lingers in dreamland.
While there are many variations of her myth, in her story Ariadne's slumber occurs on the island of Naxos, where her husband Theseus has abandoned her as she sleeps. When she wakes up, she will find not a trace of her husband, as all she sees is a boat on the horizon. Her dramatic story ends happily however, as the god Dionysus finds the awakened Ariadne and marries her.
Gary Carsley
Sleeping Ariadne (Ariadne Sleeps Unrepentant) 2020
Single Chanel Video 2.01 mins
Soundscape: Louise Loh
Videography: Kenn Huang
The eerie music that accompanies the sleeping Ariadne makes the viewer feel a bit uneasy as we intrude into this private moment of the statue's peaceful slumber. Yet the camera never wavers from her reclined form, so we watch as her breath rises and falls and pastel tones cover her surface. The act of watching her sleep is reminiscent of another work both equally intriguing and intimate, Sleep by Andy Warhol, where the artist recorded his subject asleep for five hours. Her changing colors also echo Warhol's work with the bright hues of the pop art he was famous for.
By the end of the video, Ariadne and the rock she leans against both slowly erode away, leaving just her vibrant clothing as a reminder of her presence. Her disappearance speaks to the loss of stone monuments, as time and the elements have their effect and human memory can forget.
Want to learn more about this video? Read the full artist statement here for Carsley's words about the piece.