The Gentlest Work
a queer myth in pieces
Loving you is the gentlest workA delicate spin over a linoleum tileAnd then you open your mouth to speakBecause you have to ruin everything
In June 2021, we tried something different.
The Gentlest Work was a fragmented, digital installation exploring queerness, trauma, and joy in the myths surrounding the Oresteia through performance, poetry, and art. If you’re long time followers of our work, you’ll know that these myths are where we began our journey as a collective a decade ago. In the midst of a pandemic, we returned to them, exploring the web of tales around siblings Orestes, Electra, and Iphigenia, plus Pylades – Orestes’ friend (or lover), Electra’s husband (or rival), and Iphigenia’s saviour (or victim). We sought out the queerness in their myths and the little shards of our own queer lives we see refracted in them.
You can find a programme for the installation here.
The Gentlest Work would not have been possible without the support of our amazing, generous, and dedicated Patreon supporters. We’d also like to acknowledge and thank the support of Arts Council England, the Institute of Classical Studies, the Hellenic Society, SCS Classics Everywhere, the Open University and the Louis M. Rabinowitz Foundation.