In the 1980’s there were two artists by the name of Marina and Ulay. As many artists (and writers!!) are, they were poor and lived out of the back of a truck. They lived their lives and relationship through their art and this culminated with their much thought our separation. They came up with the wonderfully artistic and romantic idea of each starting a walk from differing ends of The Great Wall of China and when after 90 days they finally met at Er Lang Shn they gave each other one last embrace before simply walking on and beginning their new separate lives.
30 years later and Marina is holding a live art performance in which she spends minute in silence with complete strangers, staring at each other. However there was going to be one special man in particular who provoked a special reaction. At 1:30, step forward Ulay.
This was the first time that the two lovers had set their eyes upon each other for half a life-time and though no words are spoken, none are needed.
Whether it is the first love of your life, the person you marry or someone special you loved but is no longer alive, most of us know something of this special feeling. I know I do for the special person in my life.
But why talk about it when I could only write so ineffectually compared to the beautiful and loving reactions in the video below. I’ve loved this video since the moment I first saw it nearly 5 years ago. It is the most intense, beautiful and real piece of art I have ever seen, even more so when you consider that Ulay once cheated on Marina which caused their separation and on his return here had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. It shows the happiness of love, the hurt of wrong decisions made and sadness of the time that has passed.
I think you can see that true love ever does run deep.
Stephen Liddell 