General Admission: $15 ($12 Belcourt members)

Presented by Chiara Sulprizio, Senior Lecturer of Classical and Mediterranean Studies at Vanderbilt University

The underworld, or the realm of the dead, has been a constant source of fear, fascination and inspiration to poets and artists from ancient Greece and Rome up to the modern day. Homer and Vergil produced the earliest descriptions we have of Hades’ dark landscape and of its odd and often terrifying inhabitants, while Dante vividly elaborated on these in his own vision of hell (or inferno) in the Divine Comedy. Visual artists of all kinds, including those working in the sphere of animation, have also been drawn to the creative challenge of representing the land of Charon, Cerberus, the Styx, and to retelling the myths of those who have descended to its gloomy depths. 

In this seminar, presented in conjunction with multimedia artist Cybelle Elena’s immersive exhibit Beaches of Purgatory at the COOP Gallery in Nashville, we will explore animated depictions of the underworld, and of the myths associated with this forbidding realm, in all their weird and wonderful variety. We will look at the inventive approaches animators from all over the world have taken to imagining where we go after we die, and to portraying the stories of famed figures like Demeter and Persephone, Orpheus and Eurydice, and the legendary Hercules, whose lives were forever changed by their encounter with this dreadful yet dazzling domain.

All ages are welcome but the seminar is best suited for kids over 10. Some film clips contain brief nudity and scary scenes. Contact allison@belcourt.org with any questions.