2kyu

The Beginning of The Story with No End

by Arielle Filipe

This story has no end - but this is where it really begins.

Heart racing, suspended in time and space.

“intriguing”

“impactful”

“exciting”

“surprising”

These are the impressions left with the project team, and University of Toronto students, who had the wonderful opportunity of sitting in as the story behind KAIROS came to life in its first reading. On January 20th, 2015, the 2KYU project team met at the University of Toronto, Mississauga campus to read, discuss, and form the introduction to the production that will seek to rewrite the story we know. This reading would also become the foundation for the soliloquy in the video above, and the second step in bringing KAIROS to life, introducing a new perspective to the world.

Although I was not present for this reading, and the creation of this soliloquy, in both its original story and video presentation, I grappled with these same feelings/impressions as I watched the short video on my own time.

The piece gets your heart pumping, and creates a moment of tension, as you are carried on this journey through the stars, through the life of the speaker. Although just under 2 minutes long, the video leaves a lasting impression and creates a sense of nervousness and tension. The atmosphere it creates instills a feeling as though something about the story will be life changing for not only the speaker, but also the viewer. The imagery takes us through an unravelling of space, suspending us in time as we drift aimlessly through that space, devoid of direction.

We are left alone to grapple with our own thoughts, and reflections, about the story this man introduces.

This story has no end - We have been doing this for over 2000 years but this is where it begins. This is where the viewer is opened up to a different story. It is just the beginning, the first taste that leaves you wanting to know more of this man’s story, our story.  The story of what his life truly meant to the world and a basis to question what ours may yet mean.

Although I was not present for much of the production of KAIROS, I find myself becoming more and more involved as different pieces of the story come together. It is almost as though it is a puzzle in which the blank spaces are slowly becoming filled, and the big picture, the underlying story, begins to make more sense while also bringing about new questions. I expect that many who are exposed to this story will also be moved, even if only momentarily.

This may be the story that has no end, but this is the start to questioning what it is we know.