OKEANOS
Open ocean waters are blue because the water itself absorbs the red colours of the light spectrum while leaving the more energetic blue rays to penetrate down to greater depths. Ancient mariners remarked on the abundance of sea life in the high seas, but they were also puzzled as to what these creatures were eating because they could not see any food. Only with the invention of the microscope did we realise that these larger organisms were fuelled by microscopic plankton. Life as we know it originated in the primaeval fluid of our oceans. Harking back to the cradle of our origins, if we humans are in or near a body of water, we inherently feel calmer and more at ease. The interpretative prose and yoga poses accompanying these exquisite cyanotypes offer guidance how to manoeuvre our human minds and bodies in weightless encounters with sea life such as humpback whales, dolphins, octopus, jellyfish, eagle rays, seahorses, mud crabs, crocodiles and sea snakes, should we ascend or descend; forgive, love or laugh; or simply dream and celebrate the beauty of the sea garden. Enjoy this dive into Okeanós to gently take you back into our blue ocean origins.
Gustaaf Hallegraeff
Emeritus Professor, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies,University of Tasmania
About Okeanos
"Oceans are the internal organs of the Earth..."
One lifetime is not long enough to rejoice in and appreciate all the beauty and magic Earth presents to us daily. Many forms of love and loss have driven the creation of this book.
Many of the art works have been made on the island of Minjerribah, using its sunlight and inspired by its surroundings… Therefore, I would like to acknowledge the Quandamooka Peoples, the Traditional Owners of this and the surrounding islands and their waters. . I would also like to convey my deepest respect for the Traditional Land of the Turrbal and Yuggera Peoples, where I live. May we continue to strive towards the deepest respect and preservation of all that is irreplaceable and sacred.
Okeanos is a story which brings together the real and fantastic through a journey of magic realism. It aims to bring a sense of hope, to raise awareness and deepen the comprehension and understanding of the fragility and complexities of mental health and its challenges.
The title Okeanos is an Ancient Greek word which means ‘river-ocean’. The word was used to describe all the water bodies surrounding the earths axis.
The story merges human existence into an oceanic landscape. It imagines the intimate exchange of guidance and shared understanding between human and sea creature through a merging of worlds. The surreal and ephemeral collide to present a sense of natural wonder when we observe the human form and the ocean creature pose, manoeuvre and rearrange to mirror each other whilst sharing equal scale. This aims to emphasise the importance of animals as equal to humans. We cannot survive without them, they are integral to our existence...
...they are proof that miracles are possible, that there is always a way to create our light in times of darkness. This miracle resides within, and we have to protect, nurture and guard it always.
