Prometheus, one of the Titans in Greek mythology, was born to Iapetus—the son of Gaia and Uranus—and Clymene, and is the brother of Epimetheus. Prometheus, along with the goddess Athena, created humans. Prometheus molded the shape of humans from clay, while Athena infused them with souls and taught them many things. Prometheus also rebelled against Zeus and brought fire to humanity. During the Titanomachy, the war led by Zeus and Kronos, Prometheus sided with the new Olympian gods and gained Zeus's favor, allowing him to stay on Mount Olympus. Prometheus created humans in his own image and attended the meeting as their protector. During the meeting, he managed to convince the gods not to impose harsh sacrifices as a condition for protecting humans. He descended to the earth with fire and gave it to humanity, causing the first pillar of fire to rise to the sky. Zeus became furious and ordered the fire god to punish Prometheus severely. Following Zeus's orders, the fire god and two servants took Prometheus to Mount Caucasus and bound him to a steep cliff with an unbreakable iron chain. He was condemned to never sleep, with his tired knees unable to bend, and a diamond nail was driven into his heaving chest. Zeus also sent an eagle to peck at Prometheus's liver (in ancient Greece, the liver was believed to be the seat of human emotions) every day. During the day, the liver would be completely consumed, but it would regenerate at night. This continued until Hercules happened to pass by while searching for the golden apples. Seeing the situation, Hercules shot the eagle with an arrow and smashed the iron chain with a stone, freeing Prometheus.
I installed a golden triangle on the ground at the performance venue, and above this triangle, I hung a spine and a pelvis. It is said that the spine is the gathering place of the soul, and the pelvis is the place where humans are born. I placed the golden heads of a man and a woman at the center of the triangle, symbolizing humanity. In this act, I am both Prometheus and Athena. I create the physical form of humans and infuse them with souls. I sprinkle golden powder into the two skulls, and the powder flows out from the holes on top of their heads. I place a model of the human brain inside the pelvis and sprinkle golden powder into the suspended pelvis, creating a shape resembling the soul. Finally, the entire triangle is covered in golden powder. Afterwards, I secure myself to the ground with an iron chain and two large stones, symbolizing the chains that bound Prometheus to the mountain. However, I replace these stones with discarded concrete blocks from a construction site, creating a connection to the real world. I crawl on the ground, struggling to drag these two stones around the triangle, and finally, I light the candle placed in the center of the triangle. Lighting the candle symbolizes fire and brightness.
