Echoes in a Seashell

“Echoes in a seashell” describes my recollections and their impact on me while living and travelling around Cyprus today.

It is a metaphor for the island as well - its history, its way of life, Its rich tapestry of events that have left their mark on the island and its people. Utilitarian objects of one period - a castle, an abbey, a mill,  a church etc. -  become objects of aesthetic value to succeeding generations. This also applies to memories of, and nostalgia for, a way of life in a particular place and time – a life once lived, ordinary, immersed in a daily custom, engulfed and controlled by the doing of it.

That same way of life, with its places, events and people, is now remembered and appreciated like some past relic that needs recording and valuing, nostalgically, sentimentally, romantically. It is our/my history, just like what we are doing today is just ‘living’ and tomorrow it will be our past, our heritage, our legacy, worthy of revering and passing on in tales etc.

This Spirit of Cyprus is my representation, personal to me. It may not be recognised by the average tourist who defines Cyprus in terms of sun, sea and sand and little else. It may not resonate with Cypriots – there are no absolute truths to search for, only personal perceptions.

But even though I control my representation, it too is not absolute, not constant. Like Chinese whispers, understandings of identity and home change over time with new experiences. And connections with the past fade and metamorphose too. These current Echoes in a Seashell found in the Spirit of Cyprus are ones that resonate with me today. Maybe they resonate a little with you.