“It’s refreshing to see Greek mythology combined with Tesco,” reads one comment in the guestbook. As well as reminder to always read the guest book as exhibitions – because there are always gems like that – it’s a very true statement.
Jon Gale’s Greek Myths is a brilliant injection of classical philosophy into modern life. It breaks away from some of the traditional human relationships and societal roles in the original myths, instead using mythical character traits to connect to typified northern characters.
The Tesco image referred to in the guestbook is titled Sisyphus. It features a bearded man in a blue Tesco fleece pushing a delivery cage up a steep slope with what looks like Bootle docks in the distant background. His box cutter sticking purposefully out of the back pocket of his cargo pants.
Sisyphus, of Greek myth (I had to google this, because my grade D SATs in History has long-since left my memory, and wasn’t particularly well rounded in the first place), was the one who rolled a boulder up a hill.
There’s more to it than that, but that’s the trigger for the rest of the story. Sisyphus, having cheated death was punished by Hades, who gave him the task of rolling a boulder to the top of a hill. The task proved impossible, with the boulder rolling back down to the bottom as soon as it approached the summit.
Before becoming the namesake of all futile tasks, Sisyphus was first king of Ephyra. He killed his guests, and lied to his subjects, offering wealth and advancements. Long story-short, he was an ambitious and awful man, with power he didn’t deserve. He cheated the gods through life, and then attempted to cheat death.
His flaws caught up with him, and his punishment was eternal futility, pushing a pointless rock to the top of a pointless hill.
While the Tesco worker pushing a cage of deliveries up a steep slope, overlooking the docks, might not be quite as awful as Sisyphus, and his job is not futile, there are moments in life when those repetitive, routine tasks can feel like a punishment for something. Or they can simply feel like a waste of your effort.
Sisyphus might not be the best example of direct comparisons in this exhibition, but the legacy his story left, and its relation to modern life is still intriguing. Not on an individual level, but as a society. That ability to devise and connect around the development of ethics was unique to historic societies.
So yes, guestbook writer, it is refreshing to see Greek mythology combined with Tesco. But it’s more than refreshing, it’s an opportunity to asses why we all relate in some way to the futility of daily work.
The only question left outstanding is why the delivery cage is solely packed with margarine.