Metamorphosis 581, 2019
High definition digital video, colour, no sound, 3′21″
ΕΜΣΤ Collection
Acquired 2022
Wooden boats [caique(s) or kaiki(s) in Greek] have been used for centuries in fishing and transport across the Mediterranean and have been an integral part of Greek culture. Since 1991, under the European Union’s fishing vessel decommissioning programme, aimed at reducing overfishing and protecting biodiversity, fishermen were given the option to transfer their boats to a third country, repurpose them, or scrap them. From 2014 onwards, the latter option was chosen more intensively, as it offered substantial financial compensation. In total, more than 85% of the 17,000 Greek caiques have been destroyed. Sphinxes examine how core elements of local identity are being lost in the wake of economic and legislative restructuring. In this work, we witness the farewell procession of the caique Metamorphosis 581 on the island of Samos. It marks the end of an era for the island, once an important centre for caique production. At the same time, it highlights the potential loss of artisanal expertise when short-sighted, onesize-fits-all policies fail to achieve their intended goals: ports fill with non-recyclable plastic boats, while overfishing continues as before, carried out by trawlers and large vessels rather than the mostly family-run caiques that are being withdrawn.
According to Sphinxes, this particular caique “was sacrificed on the altar of the ‘Goddess Europe’ for the sum of 75,000 euros.” The funerary procession they staged together with the island’s residents becomes a sort of reversal of the original sacrifice of nature, a quest for the transformations of matter. “Each of us chooses a piece from the dismantled hull and joins a procession…” The boatbuilder selects a specific tree in the forest to transform it into a caique. When this handcrafted vessel ends up as a shapeless mass, we, along with Sphinxes, ask who has snatched so many boats from the sea’s embrace and who will be charting their next journey. The remaining fragments of Metamorphosis 581 are given new life through the creative process: in the video, they are gathered together with the aim of being transformed into a raft destined for the sea. The idea of the raft evokes an urgent need for rescue.
The work Metamorphosis 581 was realised with the support of the Schwarz Foundation.
Sphinxes (Manos Flessas and Joanna Tsakalou) have been working as a team since 2018. They live and work in Athens.
