Afternoon of a Faun

Overview

This video work was based on the request by dance critic Satoru Kimura to create a video using Nijinsky’s ballet “Afternoon of a Faun” as a motif. The original ballet depicts alluring nymphs by a lake, and a faun who in his attraction to the dancers attempts to seduce them. Takata however recreated the ballet into a story of the faun’s own narcissism. In Takata’s version, the faun shows no interest in the nymphs and continues to take photos of himself with a selfie stick. On the other hand, the nymphs lift and swing the faun’s body attempting to disturb the complete absorption he has for his own world. In the end, the faun finally wakes up after having been dragged around by the nymphs who have gradually become violent.