Svet
Light
Ohr
light meets darkness.
SVET. LIGHT. OHR.
The Characters
Eva
Brianna
Ofri
Vlad
SVET. LIGHT. OHR.
What happens when the Light goes away? What is our relationship to Light?
A rich story and world evolved from these questions.
We began to train with these questions more deeply at the beginning of the Pandemic, literally March of 2020. We had already identified Prince, Raven, and the Light long before as themes, character arcs, and story lines to explore. So we started there. But as we learned how to translate our training to a Zoom platform, new characters unearthed themselves and surfaced of their own accord. Snake Woman and Light Bearer came up naturally through this exploration with the Light.
We challenged the nature of the Light, and what Darkness really means. We questioned the nature of the linear hero vs. villain story. We leaned into primordial archetypes organically and investigated them intensely in the same breath. We wrestled with the relationship between Light, Darkness, and Shadow, and how they are typically characterized as good and evil. We struggled and learned to let go of the judgment values of these entities.
Our characters became mentors, mothers, explorers, omniscient protectors, and illuminators of our own personal transformations. We each walked intense personal interior journeys throughout this cycle of work, during the heat of the pandemic.
We built this world in our bedrooms, living rooms, bathrooms, home studios; using whatever was at hand, be it broken lamps, scraps of fabric, paper bags. Our personal spaces morphed in our mind's eye to a double-vision of the forests and caves.
As we carried the weight of this story into 2022, we also began to realize the story and its characters were closing out their course. It felt good to listen to the project's organic timing that lined up both in our bodies and in what was happening with the world. We recognized the need to say goodbye to these characters which held us well during the pandemic. We want to hold their story well too.
These recordings are raw and real. They are but a snapshot of many, many iterations and explorations of scenes and relationships. We invite you to let your own imagination jump in with us, to soften the harsh edges of physical reality to the landscape of story.
Though we release ourselves from this cycle of work we still actively feel the reverberations, even after stepping out of these characters. They are still talking to us, whispering lessons in our ears, and we are ever grateful.
Brianna, Eva, Vlad
Autumn 2022
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Come Close
Come close, come close to me
Come close, come close to me
Come close
You see my light, you’re wondering
I see your light, I feel the weight
You see my light, you want to know
I see your light, bring it close
You don’t know where you go
You don’t know what you hold
You don’t know where you go
That light
Casts a shadow
I held the light once
I held the light once
It’s a heavy load to bear
It’s a heavy load
I don’t want it now
When she came to you, light in hand
Did she tell you about the end
It consumes you
It consumes you
It consumes you
Do you want it now?
Come close, come close to me
Come close, come close to me
In darkness we’re safe
Chapter 1: Light Bearer
In the beginning, in the dark, in the chaos of the unknown - a being sits, unsure of the next step. The Light peeks through into the Darkness, and the being becomes curious.
Through this exchange the Light Bearer is born.
Chapter 2: Light Bearer & Snake Woman
Eons passed and the Light Bearer bore the Light well throughout time immemorial. Carrying this heavy, brilliant energy, their strength starts to waver. Light Bearer begins to search for someone to share this weight with them.
They come across a being in the grass.
This being has been on Earth for some time, but unnamed, undefined. Born from the Earth but not yet known. They notice their shadow. A time of slow growth and realization, moving with this double self. Until a moment when the Light appears, and the edges intensify: their shadow comes into clarity. Slowly, deliciously, they admire it, feel into it.
Chapter 3: Prince
A being has just been born on the forest floor, new to this world, a small creature amidst other small creatures. The forest is alive, cool and damp.
Water drips from the trees after the rain.
It is dark at the bottom of the forest. All the plants are born in Darkness and reach towards the Light.
The creature slowly spirals up through the layers of the forest, absorbing the nutrition from the dirt, roots, twigs, leaves, mushrooms, trunks, branches. He stretches towards the Light. He is Prince.
Chapter 4: Snake Woman & Raven
The shadowed being comes to know herself as Snake Woman. Forests grow from seed; she goes deep into the Earth and hollows out her cave. The trees grow tall; she holds out her hand to those seeking Darkness. Leaves turn brown, fall, and grow again. She carves out the small slivers of Light she can hold.
Another being traverses the world for many ages, and their vitality begins to wane. They have flown far, and wide, and seen many things. They fly a little lower, a little slower. Their wings grow heavy and tangle. It has been a long life. They wander on foot through the forest; tired, lost. This being has been Raven for a long time.
Chapter 5: Light Bearer & Prince
Prince is still in the Darkness of the forest, all moldering leaves, moist earth, cool rocks, mushrooms opening and ferns sprouting, so deep down in the layers where Light cannot penetrate. It’s not scary; his concept of fear hasn’t developed yet. He wanders aimlessly.
After Light Bearer’s encounter with Snake Woman, they continued searching for someone to share the weight of the Light. Until they happen upon a small figure in the depths of the forest.
Chapter 6: Snake Woman & Prince
The Prince sets off, carrying Light Bearer with him in a bit of Light. They lead him. He is no longer wandering. Rather, this bit of Light pushes him somewhere that he isn’t sure of yet. Prince accepts the unknown of this calling.
Nestled deep in her cave, her home, Snake Woman cares intensely for her little orbs of Light. Collected from those who let go, each into their own captivity. She senses someone approaching.
Chapter 7: Prince & Raven
Snake Woman easily slithers to the depths of her cave while Prince begins to crawl inside. It is dark, there is almost no light. Fog drapes the stone floor of the cave. It is hard to see in the dark, except for a faraway rosy glow. He stumbles into the maze-like tunnels that have been carved time and time again by the belly of Snake Woman. He follows her pull, and an urging from the bundle of Light he still clutches in his hands. He comes into a wide, craggy opening. In the corner of this cavern sits a cage with the Raven inside.
Raven has been in this state for longer than they can remember. Hibernating. Until they see a bit of Light, at the edge of their sight. They cannot make out what’s moving the Light, just a silhouette of something crawling towards their cage.
Chapter 8: Snake Woman
Snake Woman slips into the heart of her home, and she waits. Snake Woman’s cave is endless, a network of tunnels and alcoves, deep pools of water. Soft moss, cool air, breath of fog. It has openings all over - she can be everywhere, anywhere, at any time. The gentle illumination of the orbs, winking in her hands, whispering in her ear. She cherishes their Lights, her Lights. Not theirs now, hers. They were ready to give it up. She holds it, for them. She marvels at the long shadows they cast.
Chapter 9: Snake Woman & Prince
Come close, Snake Woman whispers. Come close to me. She beckons. She waits. She is patient.
Prince feels a magnetic strength that pulls him further into the cave to Snake Woman’s Chamber. There is nothing left that can hold Prince back from her. Her pull is impossible to resist and he doesn’t want to, it’s alluring. There is nothing left for the Prince to do but surrender.
Chapter 10: Light Bearer & Raven
Prince pocketed Light Bearer when they met, and while this surprise was scary at first, they came to see that being held was their deepest longing. A longing for the Light to be carried by more than just themselves. Through this exchange, Light Bearer learned that to share the Light they needed to listen, and mold it into a form others could hold.
They were a hidden force journeying along with Prince, feeling the pull of Raven’s yearning. They followed it, until they found themselves in the corner of Snake Woman’s cave. They were passed into Raven’s hands and this felt fitting.
Raven holds the Light given to them by Prince. It begins to illuminate the dark corners deep within themselves. As the edges of themselves come into focus, they see Light Bearer.
Chapter 11: Raven...
Raven has found their Light.
But we don’t know what happens next.
We don’t know if the transformation they were looking for occurred.
We don’t know.
Transforming is hard, messy, and it takes Time.
It’s an internal process; we can’t always have a window into seeing the moment that the Rebirth occurs. But that’s what it is: a Rebirth.
A letting go of the old and surrendering to what’s next - the unknown, the surprise, the scary, the delight.
Letting transformation come is hard.
Bearing witness to it, and waiting for it, is hard too. And it’s okay not to watch. Not to witness, to let others have the journey they need, on their own.
We let Raven go, to transform on their own.
We are grateful for the music that inspired and led us. This was our soundtrack.
Concept Drawings for Svet. Light. Ohr.
Illustrations by Vlad Filitovich and Brianna Lueders
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