The Theogony was composed by Hesiod more than 27 centuries ago, and contains some of the most vivid and evocative descriptions of the Greek Underworld ever written. When you read about Tartarus and the Rivers of the Underworld, your imagination fills in the gaps, and your head is filled with powerful and awe-inspiring images. Bringing the Underworld to life is a challenge for any artist in any medium.
Domenica Varvalouka created an immersive art experience called Valedictory in an attempt to clothe Hesiod’s descriptions of the Underworld in the trappings of reality. She used sculpture and light projections and even customized scents to ensure an accurate reconstruction of the Lands of the Dead.
Conceptualization
Domenica has always felt that one of the most interesting things about the geography of The Underworld was its rivers. The most famous of these is the Acheron river, on which Charon’s boat sails, carrying the souls of the dead to the realm of Hades. This rapidly flowing river actually exists in Greece today, and its association with the Underworld seems to come from a unique geological phenomenon where springs rise from the bowels of the earth rather than falling as waterfalls. In Valedictory, the rendering of Acheron was animated in shades of purple, with elements like Charon’s distinctive boat in the foreground and the boiling underwater springs to distinguish it from the other rivers.
The next – and possibly most famous – river of the Underworld is the Styx, which rises in the Earth and flows underground into the kingdom of Hades. In the waters of the Styx, after a specific ritual performed by the deity Iris, the Gods of Olympus took their most binding oaths. Domenica chose to depict the part of the Styx that flows underground as a small waterfall in the background, ending in a second waterfall in the foreground. The color palette was to use shades of blue, with a faint orange light at the edge of the second waterfall signaling the transition to the warm colors of the Underworld, evoking images of the fires of Hell.
The next river is Lethe (Oblivion), from which souls drink and forget their past lives in the World of the Living. Domenica planned to render Lethe in purple tones, in a dark simplistic rocky landscape, with its source looking like a self-luminous water gushing off the rocks.
There are two other rivers of the Underworld, often merged in the literary sources into one river that is associated with punishment. The Pyriphlegethon and the Kokytos are located in the deepest part of the Underworld, Tartarus, and are made of flames meant to burn even the most hardened criminals. The Pyriphlegethon river was planned to be depicted against a rocky volcanic landscape, enclosing a river of fire, with continuous flames contrasted with the calm flow of water.
However, of the rivers, only the Flaming River ended up in the final work. This was because of the logistics associated with the gate of Tartarus, which was chosen as the prime focus of the installation. According to Hesiod, this was a giant bronze gate at the end of the world. By highlighting this gate, attention could be focused on the transition between the World of the Living and the World of the Dead. Beyond this gate is the Land of the Dead, the Realm of Hades, the residence of Day and Night (where Death and Sleep also live), as well as Tartarus, the depths of the Underworld.
Domenica tried to faithfully recreate the Underworld as it was described by Hesiod. After studying the text and drafts of the topography, she focused on specific pieces that could be rendered individually in an art installation. Symbolism was used to render the final work and she used the idea of simulating each world (the Living and the Dead) as a forest, one blooming with gentle wind movements and the other contrastingly menacing and withered; the two worlds being separated by the bronze gate. The Forest of the Dead was eventually moved to the banks of the Pyriphlegethon river, shifting the color tones from soft purples and blues to warm oranges reminiscent of the fires of Hell. However, the fire does not necessarily symbolize a punishing force, but also a cleansing and purifying one.
The Installation
The installation was divided in two by the great Bronze Gate of Tartarus, the portal that separates the world of the living – our world – from the Underworld. The two main regions of the installation were two large forests, each providing a clear visual differentiation between the two worlds.
Four large frames were placed along the walls, with two each depicting the two forests. Images of the trees were projected on the walls. The forest that represented the Underworld was made up of dry, lifeless trees, with yellow being the dominant theme, evoking the fires of Tartarus. The forest that represented the world of the living was primarily depicted as being blue and purple, with flourishing trees bursting with life.
Additional elements that will be implemented in a larger showing include the five Rivers of the Underworld: Acheron, where Charon ferries the souls of the recently deceased on the first phase of their journey to the netherworld, Styx, which flows in both worlds (that of the living and the Underworld), Oblivion, whose waters cause forgetfulness of the soul’s earlier life, Pyriphlegethon, the flaming river that torments the worst criminals, and Kokytos, the river of mourning.
The Scale of the Project
Valedictory was a project that required extensive study and planning, all of which took just over 2 years in total. Rendering the scene took 18 to 33 hours each and rendering the 15-second still camera images, where the only movement resulted from the wind, took 25 to 38 hours each. Domenica spent 2 weeks at the venue rehearsing with images and sound and, to prepare for the final setup, she spent 48 continuous hours at the venue, staying overnight to rehearse with a friend and fellow artist. The project was set up on-site for 10 hours. Naturally, many problems arose during the rehearsal process involving the space and equipment but using a 3D program, Domenica was able to adjust the images and projector settings to achieve the feeling of a single, coherent forest.
The implementation of this project featured contributions from two professors who supervised the diploma thesis. Dimitris Agathopoulos, professor of 3D graphics, assisted in developing the scenes and their final selection and Taxiarchis Dermetzopoulos supervised the soundscape so that the 4 speakers could be set up correctly for the desired result. The artist’s parents provided additional financial support and her friend and fellow artist, Katerina Polychronopoulou, helped with the final set-up.
Domenica hopes that, with the right equipment and the right venue, she will be able to showcase an even more detailed depiction of the underworld. In a more extensive showing, she will include more images that she worked on for this project, such as the rest of the rivers, and a sunken ancient Greek temple that represents the end of the Sea and Earth. Also, she could add new images such as the residences of Day and Night and use elements in the project’s transcendental space to create a deeply immersive experience.
Immersion
Domenica does not just create visual art exhibitions; she creates immersive installations. Her vision for Valedictory encompassed all five senses to create a 360 degree sensory feast. From the multiple tactile sculptures to the visual art projected on to the walls, from carefully chosen sounds to lovingly curated scents. Her initial vision had these elements, and she hopes to implement them all in a larger implementation of the full installation in the future:
1. Temperature: The Underworld, as described by Hesiod, is a place of immoderate temperatures: notably infernal unbearable heat. One air conditioning system was placed near the walls depicting the forest of the Underworld, and was designed to enhance the visitor experience. The other was placed near the projectors that created the forest of the living, highlighted in cool blue and purple tones. It blasted out cold air.
2. Scents: Domenica sought to associate each region of her recreation of the Underworld with its own proper scent. Acheron was represented by sandalwood and white sage with bay leaves (from the actual river. Other rare scents were achieved through the use of lavender and jasmine sticks, along with Palo Santo wood from Peru.
3. Attention to Detail: To really give visitors the feeling that they were walking through a forest, Domenica spread dry leaves on the floor; as they crackled, attendees felt that they were in the woods. Her sculpture skills came in handy as well: she crafted the texture of her tree trunks lovingly, so that visitors who touched them would enjoy the authentic forest experience.
Future Plans
Valedictory was born in 2023, and Domenica envisions a future where this immersive experience can thrill larger audiences across the world. Something that is important to Domenica as the audience views her work is that they feel like part of a fully immersive experience. In order to make this happen, all five senses need to be stimulated. Focusing on creating a sense of touch, Domenica would consider projection mapping. This is a sculptural construction where props and real scenery match the elements of the 3D scenery that has been created. For example, tree reliefs could be built where the forest of the Living World is projected on the walls. The digital trees would then be projected onto the reliefs and there would be branches coming out into real space, giving the audience the sense that the art is truly coming out of the wall.
To further heighten the sense of immersion, projections like these can extend right across the walls and all the way from the floor to ceiling, completely surrounding the viewer. Domenica also plans to make artificial foliage for the branches and hang real fruits on them. Furthermore, character sculptures could be created in harmony with the environment and be mechanically enhanced in order to populate the forest with depictions of living beings. Overall, Valedictory has the potential to become an even more immersive project and to be widely appreciated across the world.
Links
Domenica’s website: https://dvprofessional1.wixsite.com/website.
All about the Valedictory project: https://dvprofessional1.wixsite.com/website/general-clean.
Domenica’s Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/dvart.works/.
Vimeo page: https://vimeo.com/user135532589.
Our video feature on Domenica’s work: https://youtu.be/6NYIeGAfv-E.