Persephone EXTRACT
Persephone is a goddess from Greek mythology who was associated with spring, fertility, and the underworld, and is considered a symbol of death and rebirth.
Persephone is the beautiful and gentle daughter of the harvest goddess Demeter and Zeus. One day, while she was out with her companions, the lord of the underworld, Hades, was struck by her beauty. As Persephone was distracted by the sight of a flower, the ground beneath her feet opened up, and Hades appeared before her in his golden chariot pulled by four horses. He abducted her and took her to the underworld, where she was forced to become the queen of the dead.
Demeter, devastated by the loss of her beloved daughter, withdrew the gift of life from the earth. The crops withered, the fields lay fallow, and the world was plunged into darkness and despair. With the help of the wise sun-god, Helios, Demeter discovered Persephone and demanded that she be released from Hades' cruel grasp. Although her daughter is returned to her, because Persephone tasted the fruits of the Underworld, she must spend four months of the year in the underworld and the rest of the year on the surface with Demeter.
INTERPRETATION
When Persephone returned to earth to live with her mother on Mount Olympus, the land would once again be fertile and fruitful. Further into the underworld the land will become barren. The story of Persephone symbolizes the cycle of winter and spring, the cycle of death and rebirth. My design will be the appearance of crops breaking out in spring and all things growing.
RESEARCH IMAGES
Images from the internet
MIDJOURNEY IMAGES
Images generated from Midjourney
Research Images:
R1 - The Rape of Persephone, Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, 1684–1686, Florence, Luca Giordano
R2 - The Return of Persephone, by Luca Giordano, 1634-1705
R3 -The Return of Persephone, by Frederic Lord Leighton, 1830–1896, Scarborough, London
R4 -Proserpine, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1821-1882, Tate Modern Art Gallery, London
R5 - Marble statue group of IsisPersephone, Cerberus and Sarapis-
Hades, Archeological Museum of Herakleion, Crete
Midjourney Prompts:
M1 - high detail, Greek, The Queen of the Underworld returns to the earth and everything begins to grow, full body
M2 - The kidnapped goddess, ate a pomegranate, eaten a pomegranate, full body, Greek
M3 - high detail, Greek, goddess, underworld
M4 - high detail, Greek, The Queen of the Underworld returns to the earth and everything begins to grow, full body
M5 - Greek, goddess, What has been stolen, Standing in the underworld, The whole body, Everything stops growing, helpless, high detail
M6 - high detail, Greek, goddess of the underworld, Crops start to grow
M7- high detail, Greek, The Queen of the Underworld returns to the earth and everything begins to grow
M8 - Persephone, Symmetrical composition, half the queen of the underworld use gold and black , and half Greek goddess use gold and white
Demeter lost her beloved daughter and was heartbroken. She took back the gift of life from the earth and searched the earth for her daughter for nine days and nine nights alone, carrying a torch. After the sun God's help learned the daughter's whereabouts, and demanded her release from Hades's cruel control
Winter is coming
Persephone and her ladies were gathering flowers on the Nicene plain when she was drawn to a flower of extraordinary beauty
Hades falls in love with Persephone, and he appears in front of her with his chariot and snatches her back into the underworld
WINTER
Persephone became Queen of the Underworld, but soon after, under pressure from Demeter, Hades gave in and returned Persephone. Before leaving, Hades feeds her some pomegranate seeds, the fruit of the Underworld, which causes her to spend part of each year in the underworld
Legend
SPRING
Winter period
Spring period
Seasonal auxiliary line
Time line
Zaus & Hades
Prosephone returned to her mother and spent two-thirds of the year with her and one-third with Hades. This is the part of the year that corresponds to the winter months. Every spring, Persephone reunites with her mother, Demeter, marking the season of rebirth.
Persephone & Hades
Persephone & Zaus
Persephone & Demeter
Skin system lline drawing
MODEL
[Starting from scrath, grow out of nothing.]
My model consists of two systems, bone and skin. I am inspired by the return of Persephone, after the change of winter to spring, all things grow. The design of Skin expresses a kind of snow. The design is a device for rising movement, and the part of Bone is a grain, which breaks the ground when it rises
Legend
Movement of Bone system
Movement of Skin system
The connection between different systems Variable auxiliary line
Bone system line drawing
[Starting from scrath, grow out of nothing.]
The inspiration for my architectural installation comes from the Greek myth of Persephone, which is used to explain the changing of the seasons and the cycle of life and death. Persephone's mother, the agricultural goddess Demeter, stopped the growth of plants when her daughter was kidnapped, and everything revived when her daughter returned. My design for the architectural installation incorporates the initial ascending system, which symbolizes the emergence of plants from the soil.
Legend
Movement of Lifting platform system
Movement of Bone system
Movement of Skin system
Variable auxiliary line
Count:
Chassis
Connecting
HOW TO WORK
The core movement mode of the building installation is vertical motion, and I used a hydraulic rod lift to support the movement of my design. The rising motion of the leaf brackets through the Skin system creates an uplifting effect,
INSTALLATION POSITION
which is inspiring. Due to the unique nature of gravity, I did not fix the Bone system and hydraulic lift together, but added a layer of flat base to increase stability during lifting and lowering.
The chosen location on campus for my design holds a significant connection to the Persephone myth. Placed in the Sky Garden, it symbolizes transformation and renewal, mirroring Persephone's journey
from the underworld. The abundant natural light represents her emergence into the world of light and growth. By captivating students in this vibrant space, my installation offers a refreshing experience, reminiscent
of Persephone's ability to bring vitality. The intentional placement creates a powerful link to the myth, enhancing the storytelling aspect and creating a profound impact on viewers.