Ekdysis

‘A snake dreams of a human. And vice versa.’

In Greek mythology, the seer Tiresias was allegedly transformed into a woman for seven years, for disturbing two copulating snakes on Mount Cyllene. Niya traces Tiresias steps on the mountain, picking the thread of the myth of metamorphosis from where patriarchal narratives have left it.
‘Ekdysis’ is the biological term referring to the process of shedding the external layer of the skin in reptiles. Niya engages in rituals of her own ekdysis to shed imposed identities of nation, religion, class and gender. She stirs the layers of history hidden in the tranquil waters of the mountainous lake of Stymphalia and finds its endemic fish, which survives the drought by hibernating in the mud. Mud suspends time. The fish dreams of a snake, living in the shadow of an ancient tree; an invocation to the ancient healing practices of Asclepius to cure not only the human but the whole ecosystem.

Counteracting the linear, patriarchal way of manufacturing history, Niya’s transgender mythopoesis finds embodiment in the form of the snake woman, winding and twisting between layers of mythology, auto-ethnography and multi-species entanglements to retell the Tiresian myth.

Ekdysis can be presented as a film or as an expanded video installation.

  • Niya B
    Director
  • Niya B
    Writer
  • Niya B
    Producer
  • Giulia Casalini
    Producer
  • Niya B
    Key Cast
    "Performer"
  • Giulia Casalini
    Key Cast
    "Performer"
  • Céleste Combes
    Key Cast
    "Performer"
  • Niya B
    Sound Design
  • Lottie Poulet
    Sound Design
  • Niya B
    Voice-over
  • Eirini Kartsaki
    Voice-over
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Other
  • Runtime:
    43 minutes 43 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 30, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    15,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    Greece, United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director - Niya B