Drapetomania or Paradise invented

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At the end of this summer as I was looking through an admirable group of photos on I/G taken in Ikaria, I found out that they were all tagged #drapetomania, a strange word seemingly coming from Greek. Oh no, it’s not about that old «runaway slave syndrome» devised for obvious reasons by American pseudoscientists in the mid-19 cent. Those bad connotations forgotten today, the word seems to have taken up a new meaning, but still, yes, it remains a ‘syndrome’ alright, though this time a cultural, not a psychological one, to be sure. Just google it up and you will see. Given that, I took the liberty to update the definition by adding a few words. It goes as follows:

Drapetomania: «an overwhelming urge to be free, to find Paradise; if nessecary, to invent it.»

However, the point of this article, my readers, lies not upon terminology but upon photography. Because, in my opinion, the choice of photos I am presenting to you today possess one unique feature: a perfect, subtle balance between the animate and the inanimate, between the organic and the inorganic, and if you wish as well, the finitness of the self and the infiniteness of the cosmos. Having taken part myself in shootings like this in the past, I know from first hand that during the process (as long as the photographer is gifted) there is point when all forms merge into oneness and all feelings disappear.
Looking at certain scenes with half-closed eyes blinded by the merciless glow, you can’t really tell if the human is rock or the rock is human (or animal). It’s a moment of trance and transition, a moment when I can’t help but agree with Albert Camus:

«The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.»

But I have to restaint myself and not let my words shadow the work of the artist. Behold therefore now Elena’s appasionados por la libertad. Look at them as they ‘draptsise’ to another world, neither christian or pagan: the world of crystallic rock surfaces, deep clear water and scorching sunlight. It’s a paradise neither lost, nor won. It’s a paradise invented. 😉

All photos © Elena Lygkou 2021

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If you wish to add a comment, click on the photo you like most, copy the URL and paste it after your text. I am interested to know your preferences. 😉

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related stuff

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Thursday, October 14, 2021

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