Can high art and commerce solve our ecological crisis?
In short: We possess an unprecedented power to transform the planet, yet we risk losing everything in the process. By fusing 2,000-year-old poetry with modern economic theory, a unique performance explores how humanity might metamorphose toward a future of sustainable commerce.
In June 2009, Gresham College hosted a performance titled 'Metamorphoses: The Terrible Beauty of Change' as part of the City of London Festival. By merging sustainability-focused commercial thoughts with Benjamin Britten’s 1951 piece 'Six Metamorphoses After Ovid' (Op.49), this occasion aimed to link contemporary survival and classical aesthetics. The collaboration featured Professor Michael Mainelli as a speaker on commerce, John Harle on saxophone, and William Joseph providing computer graphics to visualize these complex transitions.
The foundation of this exploration is Publius Ovidius Naso’s epic poem *Metamorphoses*, completed in 8 AD. Written in dactylic hexameter across 15 books totaling over 600 pages, Ovid's work serves as a primary reference for Greek and Roman mythology. It remains a masterpiece of storytelling centered on the enduring theme of change—a concept that has inspired figures ranging from Chaucer and Botticelli to Mozart and Joyce.
The performance specifically addresses how society might shift toward sustainable commerce in harmony with nature. It draws from four years of Gresham College Commerce lectures, highlighting the tension between human progress and environmental degradation. The curators argue that while humans have never had such power to reshape the world, they have also never faced such significant risks regarding our collective future.
The project highlights a historical irony: Ovid wrote his masterpiece during a period of profound transition, born into a republic and dying in an empire. Two millennia later, the speakers suggest that the most radical changes are occurring now. By weaving together Britten’s music, Ovid's ancient odyssey, and modern political thinking, the event attempts to envision a metamorphosis where robust economies and healthy environments coexist.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Metamorphoses - Sustainable Commerce and The Long Finance - Gresham College Talk & Benjamin Britten
- Also: Metamorphoses – The Terrible Beauty of Change
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