Dymphna: Catholic saint for the mentally ill
Friends of Dymphna, an opera about depression touches mental fragility and depression through dance and performance art. The autobiographical work attempts to reveal the biological, emotional and social aspects of severe depression, it also strives to dismantle the tabu like nature of the subject.
The piece has been inspired by Andrew Solomons novel The Noonday Demon, an anatomy of depression (Chatto&Windus 2001). Friends of Dymphna aims to create ambiguos images of depression that arise from the questions; Why are we depressed? What causes depression? What does depression feel like? What does it look like? What is the opposite of depression?
Choreography: Carl Knif
Dance: Carl Knif, Jonna Aaltonen, Terhi Vaimala / Satu Halttunen
Texts: Carl Knif, Jonna Aaltonen, Terhi Vaimala
Light design: Jukka Huitila
Sound design: Aake Otsala
Costume design: Karoliina Koiso-Kanttila
Production: Carl Knif Company & JoJo – Oulun Tanssin Keskus, 2015
Language: English
Duration: 40-50 min
