To bring you to the Alice Springs performances of Persephone as ontopoetic theatre, I have to go by way of old Japan and Jane Barrow's installation of 50 white ceramic columns, named by her as - The Stillness. So, first an artist's description, then a paragraph on Shinto shrines, an inspiration for her work. Bear in mind that Jane Barrow has spent much time in Japan apprenticed to master potters of a Japanese tradition. Drawing upon Shinto ambience is a direct and embodied experience for her, given that she spent years of arduous manual labour and ardour for the potter's craft: The Stillness Fifty hollow ceramic columns softly tapered at the base and necks are arranged in a square white room. Some rise to near shoulder height. Natural light from the high windows falls on their chalky surfaces, revealing subtle, random patterns of concentric circles that have been rubbed back through the layers of slip. There is sufficient space for a person to move carefully between them.Photos by Fiona Walsh