In February, Íslenski Reiðskólinn had the privilege of participating in a project to produce a music video for the song ‘Circle of Signs’ by Mariee Siou. Despite the chilly weather, the talented actress Seraphia Behr, who is just 15 years old, displayed remarkable courage and composure. Seraphia was required to wear a dress throughout the shoot, which made the task even more challenging. Nonetheless, Samantha Shay and the creative team did an exceptional job capturing the horses, the environment, and the untamed spirit of our region. It’s worth noting that Kvistur, the horse featured in the video, was the one Seraphia rode.
Photo credit Sunna Ben.
Regarding the project, Director Samantha Shay had this to say:
“Circle of Signs is a piece about the wildfires rampaging through California, but so much more. It is about climate grief, the hopeless situation capitalism and colonialism has left the planet and youth to take on, and so for this video, I decided to collaborate with a teenager on the entire creative trajectory. It was a tremendous learning experience. Seraphia Behr is 15 and stars in the film, she is a first time actor, and we created the ideas and images together. In this piece, I somehow felt how the suppression of natural burning forests equated to the suppression of the voices of the youth. Somehow, Seraphia is California embodied, struggling with and ultimately reclaiming her wildness, her beauty, her insecurities, her vision for her future, and the lineage of women she comes from. I learned a lot. It was an honor to make this piece for Mariee, and I also got to bring together many amazing female artists whose work is featured in this piece.”
