Poetic performance in the context of "Making Oddkin — for joy, for trouble, for volcano love", curated by Nadja Argyropoulou, Nisyros Island, 10-9-2018, Pandeli's Pen.

The ancient Greek word "tragedy", "song of a billy-goat", probably indicated the origins of tragedy from the dithyramb, sung by a leader singer and a chorus of Satyrs named "tragoi".

What happens when a chorus of a poetic performance are real animals, real goats?

In this specific performance inside the pen I kept on my poetic research about the word "tragedy". I read and sing whilst wearing my garment device "Aigis", an inscribed parchment made by a goat's skin.

The chorus that is together my audience is formed by a herd of goats. The theater space is the enclosed pen. I feed the goats with fig leaves. I read poems and ancient Greek verses adapting myself to the mood and temper of the herd, much more sensitive than a human audience, a flock that approaches and goes back, smells, looks at me, is kissing me, forming at the same time its own unique chorus song and dance. 

Photos by Ioanna Vlachaki Lydia Antoniou. Video by Lydia Antoniou

After finishing the words, the door of the pen opens and the goat chorus is spilled off to the open Aegean Cyclopic land.