FIREBIRD

In Slavic folklore, the Firebird Жар-птица is a mythical peacock-like bird with flaming feathers emitting a glow that lights the skies. A holographic mystery, a single feather holds the power of the whole creature. Like desire, it is a thing that is both feared and revered, a blessing and a curse. The tale of the Firebird — or The Bird of Light — has many versions. In Ivan Tsarevich and the Grey Wolf, the quest for the Firebird begins when it eats the golden apples from the tsar’s orchard, echoing the demonisation of desire and temptation in the Fall at the Garden of Eden. Rare and majestic, arresting in its beauty and dangerous in its potency, the Firebird is a treasure hunted by those who seek to capture and contain this wild beauty, those who do not grasp that true power can never be tamed. In the ballet adaptation by Igor Stravinsky, the anti-hero and sorcerer, Koschei the Deathless Коще́й Бессме́ртный, is woven into the story. He holds a mirror to the shadow forces within each of us, and it is through the battle of the self, an infernal dance, that we see light and dark as aspects of the same quality. It is only through embracing the shadow within that true transformation occurs and the Firebird is liberated. Firebird is a short film curated by Wild Alchemy Lab, starring Ayesha Tan-Jones, directed by Aaron Bevan-Bailey and Beth Buxton, with original score by Oli Bayston.