This fragment, attributed to Heraclitus of Ephesus, who, in his susceptibility to melancholia went on to bear the title "the weeping philosophy", shall serve as a premie for our brief, but collective sojourn. Within the unexplored waters of change, it is impossible for any human to step into the same waters twice, as Heraclitus enlightens us:
"Πάντα ῥεῖ" (Everything always flows).
 |
Dynamics begin to form:
Sea contra land, flow contra rigidity, myth contra realism, relieving amorphousness contra constricting framework, otherness contra conformity.
How can these differences be reconciled?
The ancient Greeks had an intricate relationship with the ever-changing sea. While a resource, a spring of power, the sea's otherness, its every-changing unpredictable nature, brute force and indomitable will were feared.
 |
At their core many stories within Greek mythology are about interpersonal conflict. The solution is often a form of metamorphosis. Liminal beings, bestowed with the power of transition or change act as bearers of resolution. Unlike humans, their very essence allows them to shift through contrasting realms: the mortal and the divine. Land and sea.
 |
Proteus (Πρωτεύς), a liminal being that not only dwells in but also embodies rivers and oceanic bodies of water exemplifies this. When revealed to the human eye, Proteus takes on the "Old man of the Sea" form, when concealed he enjoys the epithet of (God of) "elusive sea change". And while he bears the gift of prophecy, in his reluctance to share it with humanity, Proteus shape shifts. Proteus will only enlighten those seeking to know the only constant (which is change) if they are able to catch him mid-metamorphosis.
 |
His capabilities endure in the English language. We still use the word "protean" to describe the ability to change intermittently and effortlessly. Much like fashion.
Perhaps, the only way to peacefully coexist with change is to be protean ourselves.
Perhaps, we will capture Proteus on our sojourn today.
Aron Alexandros De Vallier Petridis
© Edward Crutchley
Ph: Chris Yates
