Xanthe Horner

Persephone gazes upon the infernal banquet.

Xanthe E. Horner is a multidisciplinary mystic and artist, exposing the dialogue between the hidden and the seen. Xanthe is committed to providing novel experiences that bring people together in ancient ways.

A native Londoner, residing at the edge of Epping Forest, Xanthe has been practising as an artist and providing spiritual services for the past several years since graduating Goldsmiths University with a First Class degree in Fine Art & History of art in 2016. Also a dedicated wordsmith, she published her first poetry collection ‘Lunations’ in 2021. Her time at the RCA has been spent unifying her artistic and esoteric sensibilities towards an emergent new media format.

Persephone the pig clutches her potion in the bowl of soup.

I am a transdisciplinary practitioner situated at the intersections of art, magick and myth-making. I work across a range of traditional and new media. Whether I am drawing, writing poetry, reading tarot or designing my own game worlds and interactive experiences, my approach is both mythopoetic and visionary.

My recent foray into game design has been a turning point in my practice and I am committed to continuing my exploration and subversion of this expansive discipline. I am travelling between worlds, anticipating a new one.

World-building and storytelling are central components in a dynamic creative practice. This is underpinned by my own concept of Hextaposition; the juxtaposing of opposites to instigate transformative and unexpected outcomes.

I use my intuitive insights to guide me across the treacherous terrain that connects the contemporary to the archaic, presenting elements of popular culture alongside arcane symbolism. In this I attempt to show the primordial as alive and kicking in prime time entertainment.

Persephone glances across the hellscape defiantly.

Persephone's Cup

A long-standing preoccupation with ancient mythology, combined with a love of 90s video games, cartoons and anthropomorphic pigs has brought Persephone’s Cup squealing into existence. Part nightmare, part daydream, Persephone’s Cup presents the feminine urge to conquer the perils of patriarchy.

Persephone’s Cup is a videogame that riffs on the myth of Persephone’s capture by Hades and descent into the underworld, leading the player up the garden path through hell and back.

Persephone is a pig with a penchant for getting into trouble. Though she loves the garden idyll with Pipkyn she craves a room of her own to express what’s in her soul. Feeling an emptiness inside, she scratches an itch and follows the trail of pips right to the underworld. Little does she know it’s a trap set by Hades (aka Nefarious P.I.G) in order to ensnare her and make her his bride.

The player follows Persephone on her journey through darkness and light, progressing in the game by collecting pearls of wisdom. Ultimately Persephone must escape false destiny and carve out a (mush)room of her own.

Both a heroine’s journey from angst to ascension and a commentary on male-dominated gamer culture, Persephone’s Cup riotously rides the hot pink tide to a new shore. A place where pigs can fly.

Demonstration of gameplay in Persephone's Cup

Xanthe Horner

Persephone's Cup

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Royal College of Art