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The first play in the Tetralogía Anfibia (Amphibious Tetralogy) is a naumachia designed to be acted out on the ship Naumon. It could be defined as a cosmic marionette show. The main actors are two giants and two fundamental characters. One ofthem, Tamor, represents the human as a traveler who undergoes metamorphoses of age, gender and race. The other, Dai, is a presence that constantly changes throughout the performance, taking on the different forms of the world. Naumaquia is divided into four parts and its absolute protagonist is the creative spirit, from the point of view of nature and the cosmos, as well as the human point of view.
The first of the four parts represents creation as seen from the sphere of nature and begins with the idea of a cry that is equivalent to darkness and chaos. Through that cry, the cosmos is gradually formed, the universe is shaped as a struggle between two antagonistic forces. The first part ends with the creation of a mandala of bodies as a metaphor of the cosmos.
The second part deals with the creation of life. From the constructions and destructions of the Cosmic Dancer, we move on to the idea of the great tree that connects everything, where both mythical traditions and modern science are reflected through DNA and genomes. It ends with a trip through the inner world of a human being. The protagonist of the third part is man, who through creation is capable of prolonging his own life. On stage appears a sculptor who sculpts the sea until he obtains a mermaid. Through the relationship between the creator and the created, an awareness of time and death is reflected. At the same time, the man rebels against his destiny, his frontiers and his limitations.
The fourth scene is staged as a modern recreation of heaven and hell. Here, the main event of the play occurs, a rite of passage into knowledge that takes the vessel NAUMON as its symbol. Thus the circle of creation, understood as an eternal game, is closed.
R. Argullol |
