Stella Stylianou

I am jealous of the birds and cats that can cross the border without thinking, oblivious to any political situation, no need for papers.

Being from Cyprus, one of the first things I remember learning was about the Turkish invasion of 1974. I was taught that we were wronged, and I should never forget the land that was taken from us. This taught me to be scared 0f a part of my country I have not visited before. With time I realized that through all the fear there is something that we share; pain for what we lost. I felt the need to express these thoughts through my work.

My background in dance led to me to creating a collection of dance costumes while simultaneously working a choreographer to create a short video performance to tell my story. The collection consists of 6 costumes for a “chorus” and two for the main characters.  

All the costumes combine sensitive fabrics that compliment movement, with rougher military inspired accessories. I wanted to work with ethically sourced materials thus, I worked with a company in Italy to pleat deadstock fabrics for the costumes of the chorus.

I would like to thank Stichting M.C. de Visser Fonds, Schuurman Schimmel – van Outeren Stichting and Alkionides scholarships (CY) who gave me financial support throughout my graduation year.

Choreographer: Ioli Kaskani

Videographer/ editor: Pol Andrés Thió

Music: George James Demetriou

Dancers: Ioli Kaskani, Julien Müller, Linn Rümpler, Deborah Dalla Valle, Irene Ioannou, Jirmeja Pattianakotta, Spyros Bekiaris, Zoe Amber Cochrane