MIYELO - Viggo Mortensen
Perceval Press

By Brenda Cowan

In March of 2003, Viggo Mortensen was in the California desert to witness and record the re-creation of the Lakota Ghost Dance being filmed for the epic Hildago, in which he plays the lead. The dance was originally performed by members of Chief Big Foot's band on December 29th, 1890 near Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota. Mortensen's intent was to capture the re-creation on one single roll of film as an ephemeral dream. That dream is now presented beautifully in his book, Miyelo.

The photographs transport you deep within yourself, yet at the same time allow you the feeling of an out-of-body experience. You feel pulled into the photographs in a magical, almost drug-induced way. Mortensen's vision and intent are not just interesting and challenging, but also inspire your brain to explore the photos from a deeper realm and invite extreme emotional reaction to the hazy, blurry images dancing before you. Too often, challenging art is out of reach and too confusing to be appreciated, but Miyelo offers itself as a surreal portal into what it must have been like over 100 years ago in that pivotal place and time in our history. In so doing, it leaves you with a very fulfilled and educational experience.

Mortensen has stated that "we communicate, at best, as outlines and silhouettes to each other. Blurry vanishing tracings of what we really see, feel and mean." His thoughts and feelings are beautifully translated into his work. The blurry images, transparent dancers and swirling colors of light add to this feeling of communicating out of time through silhouettes. He has accomplished his goal.

Mortensen is an accomplished and respected photographer, painter, poet, actor and activist. His art speaks for him beautifully and from what I have seen and experienced, he has many interesting, intelligent and sometimes quirky things to say and show worth hearing and viewing. A portion of the profits from the sale of this 64 page book is being donated to the SuAnne Big Crow Boys & Girls Club of Pine Ridge, South Dakota.

If you wish to experience Miyelo yourself, click this link to make a purchase: http://percevalpress.com/books.html

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