A 2,000-year-old poem provides a blueprint for modern sustainability
In short: How can an epic poem from 8 AD help us navigate the climate crisis? By blending Ovid’s ancient mythology with modern commerce, thinkers are using the concept of metamorphosis to envision a future where human economy and nature finally coexist in balance.
In June 2009, Gresham College hosted 'Metamorphoses: The Terrible Beauty of Change,' an interdisciplinary event that fused Benjamin Britten's 1951 musical work with contemporary economic theory. The presentation explored the duality of human progress: our unprecedented power to transform the planet—from high art to industrial waste—and the simultaneous risk of losing everything in the process.
The core of this exploration is Publius Ovidius Naso’s 'Metamorphoses,' completed in 8 AD. Written in dactylic hexameter, this 15-book epic serves as a masterclass on life's most enduring theme: change. It has inspired centuries of creators, from Botticelli and Mozart to Joyce and Britten. The lecture specifically highlighted the story of Arethusa, who was transformed into a fountain to escape the love of Alpheus the river god.
Aiming for 'sustainable commerce with nature', this synthesis transcends simple observation of transition. The production integrated four years' worth of Gresham College lectures regarding sustainability alongside graphics and music to outline a societal transformation. It frames our current environmental struggle not as a new problem, but as the latest chapter in an odyssey of transformation that began over two millennia ago.
This approach suggests that understanding our past—specifically how we have historically reshaped the world through myth and technology—is essential for navigating the 'terrible beauty' of modern ecological transition. It posits that robust economies and healthy environments are not separate goals, but twin requirements for mankind's survival.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Metamorphoses - Arethusa - The Needs of the Many - Gresham Sustainability Talk & Benjamin Britten
- Also: Metamorphoses – The Terrible Beauty of Change
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