Gary Cordingley

To look directly at Medusa is to turn to stone. To be petrified. To die.

We think of Medusa as a monster but why is this so? Who is the real monster, Medusa or the men who come to kill her? Perhaps it is the gods that abused, betrayed and then punished her for a crime committed against her.

‘They Call Me Monster’ came about as I looked deeply into Greek Mythology and began to see alarming links between modern society and ancient cultures.

The start of my journey coincided with the Harvey Weinstein revelations and the resultant ensuing global campaigns, so it is fitting that the story I chose for my investigation was that of Perseus, who’s quest it is to cut off the head of the Medusa.

We can not look directly at Medusa but we can imagine what Medusa might see when she looks out at the men she has turned to stone, and we can imagine how she must feel about the injustice of her situation.

The great myths seem to hold many powerful messages for humankind, not all of them necessarily positive. In order to bring about change we need to address the stories we tell and the way we tell them.

If Medusa had Twitter I think she would definitely have tweeted #Metoo

To be Medusa is to see people endlessly turning into stone. Petrified. Dead.