| In support of the original glass art installation, “Vesica Piscis,” a Contextual Essay presents the synthesis of research on delphinology conducted in parallel with art-based research on sacred Minoan vessels interpreted into contemporary glass art. In segments of personal narrative, it reflects the creative process involved in extending the metaphor of the whirling sea/womb/dolphin into the creation of glass vessels. The “ Vesica Piscis” installation presents unique rhyton vessels as analogs of generative form evocative of the ocean/place of creation, and illustrative of expanding and collapsing universes described in the contemporary literature on quantum physics. This glass art refers to delphinology, and alludes to evolving theories on the nature and origins of the cosmos. Asking the question, “What is the nature of the human-dolphin relationship?” led to the identification of an all-encompassing metaphor, the “ vesica piscis” (vessel of the fish), as a valuable source for the origins of the cosmic story of the human-dolphin relationship. In pagan and Christian traditions alike, the vesica piscis metaphor embodied the feminine aspect of sacred vessels. This form in pottery has been used to conjure and celebrate fertility, as well as the place of creation. Examining the metaphor through the lens of delphinology, and drawing examples from the disciplines of archaeomythology, archaeoastronomy, and science and consciousness, not only provided a frame of reference for interpreting ancient dolphin iconography and mythology, but also revealed itself, through archaeological evidence, as an ancient geometric construct. Some research indicates that the vesica piscis geometry, as a device for the perception of shape and the generation of form, may underpin the structure, function, and philosophical context of many ancient myths, artifacts, and monuments associated with dolphins. This could link delphinology to developments in primordial science and consciousness, encompassing the fields of astronomy, geography, geometry, and philosophy. This correspondence may establish the link between the vesica piscis metaphor with attendant dolphins and the metaphorical womb of creation. This mythological construction involving creativity is embedded in the iconography of Minoan marine style pottery revealing the powerful analogy of sea/womb/dolphin. These sacred vessels enshrine the dolphin as the living womb of the sea. |
