Eurydice: she, so beloved

The first space is an infinity of darkness, disorienting and surprising after the well lit galleries that precede it. The first reaction is to stop absolutely still in the stygian void to collect oneself and find some means of orientation. After a few moments faint light is discerned coming from another darkened room and the sound of running feet. One stumbles into a larger space and gradually sees the outline of a large trapezoid box containing a hellish landscape which can be viewed through three apertures, each of which gives a different, distorted perspective.

This is the landscape Eurydice inhabits, seen in microcosm. Bleak and rocky, with weird pylons and suspended globes it is a world unto itself, the realm beyond the Styx. This Optical Box draws the eye inwards, as through a microscope, to examine in detail the unimaginable dreariness of the terrain. The strangeness contained within, the odd figures, shapes and suggestions declare: This is not your world viewer; you have no place here.

This is the first part of the film and installation by the Quay Brothers, commissioned by Opera North in association with Leeds City Art Gallery to celebrate the 400th anniversary of ...