In Searching for the Oracle – Python’s Gaze, the mythological serpent Python—once guardian of Gaea’s oracles at Delphi before being slain by Apollo—”returns” to contemporary Greece, gliding through its landscapes. Rooted in recent research from Delphi’s geomythological archives and positioned at the intersection of choreography, visual art, and speculative fiction, this 23-minute film offers a meditative inquiry into one of Western civilization’s foundational myths. While the prophecies of Apollo’s oracle were carved in stone for future generations to read and remember, those of Gaea’s oracles remain unaccounted for. Set against the backdrop of the ongoing climate and ecological crisis, Searching for the Oracle – Python’s Gaze unfolds as a choreographic and cinematic reflection on an anthropocentric landscape—revealed, at times, as fragments and ruins.

Credits

Written, Directed & Produced by: Helle Siljeholm

Co-director, Edits, Color & Design: Espen Haslene / Tundra*

Director of Photography: Fred Arne Wergeland

Composer / Sound Design: ILIOS

Co-creating Performers: Marianne Kjærsund, Pernille Holden

Location & Research Consultants: Poka-Yio, Dr. Kika Kyriakakou, Dimitris Kariofilis

Script Consultants: Amal Issa, Øyvind Paasche, Bojana Cvejić, Marwa Arsanios

Costume Design: Poka-Yio

Supported By: Viken Filmsenter, Fond for lyd og bilde, Arts Council Norway, Program for Artistic Research Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norwegian Embassy in Athens