Petr Lovigin

Black Dwarf

There is an old Chinese saying: ’Ducks embroidered on a carpet may be shown to friends, but the needle that stitched them disappears without a trace’.

I took this tale from a favourite musical romance by Vertinsky, spent a long time reflecting on the idea, ’chewing it over’, and finally created an adaptation that relates to my own work and events in my personal life.

The Black Dwarf reveals fantasies, images and invented heroes from his imaginary world to the Princess. They are drawn by strings to a small red stereobox in his trunk, where episodes from this fairy-tale world are brought to life like diapositive filmstrips. But the Princess cannot understand his stories, for her they are strange and incomprehensible. Realising that all his efforts are pointless and there is no sense in trying to open the eyes of those who cannot see, one day the Dwarf is swept up and away by forces unknown. To his own, beautiful, imaginary world.

And the moment the picture vanishes from the screen, the life of the Princess is left empty and void.

Petr Lovigin