Oedipus by Sophocles
Oedipus by Sophocles
Oedipus
by Sophocles
Synopsis
The original title of the project emerged from an anagrammatism of the name Oedipus in English: from Oedipus to Odeipus. This shift aimed to foreground the element of the ode — a poetic, ritualistic approach to the myths that constitute Oedipus Rex. The coincidence with Opus Dei, although intriguing, was not connected to the initial concept.
In the new phase of the research, after years of development and refinement, the work consciously returns to its original title: Oedipus. A return that emerges as the result of the specific artistic journey.
The entire research and analytical process behind the Odeipus project is documented in the Tarot Theatre book The King Is Blind. The audiovisual part completed a cycle of four chapters, functioning as an autonomous yet interconnected artistic entity.
A decisive initial point of reference became the Priest’s phrase addressed to King Oedipus — “Do not reign over a necropolis,” as translated in the version by Minos Volanakis. This phrase became the central axis connecting the work to the present. A question directed not only toward the mythical king, but toward every contemporary leader who allows austerity, injustice, and destruction to dominate human life. Is it a choice — or a strategy — to govern ruined “kingdoms”/societies, or even a dying planet?
At the core of this interpretation lies the search for myths and symbols of Sophocles’ tragedy as they can be related to the archetypal structure of Tarot. In the first cycle of this process, the primary tool was the Tarot deck of Salvador Dalí, functioning as a mirror of inner and collective landscapes.
The story of King Oedipus undeniably inhabits our collective unconscious: a man who kills his father and marries his mother; a woman who, when the truth is revealed, is driven to hanging herself; and a king who responds through the act of self-blinding.
Can the material of this tragedy become a process for healing collective trauma? Can the symbolic “murder” of the parents, on an archetypal level, function as a process of profound transformation? As a reconnection with the Self — and, through it, a reconnection with the World?
Could even the act of self-blinding be transformed into a deeper form of inner consciousness? In other words, could darkness cease to signify downfall, and instead become the primordial step toward the passage into a new life?
The archetype of Oedipus — the blind king — inevitably demands to be sought in the present: in a world where, as citizens, we “witness” daily the hubris of our blind leaders.
Soundtrack
Electronic composition: Rendeece
Mastering: Digging Sounds
Artwork
The Odeipus project was developed in artistic collaboration with visual artist Kostas Kosnetzov
Book
The King Is Blind is the first introductory book dedicated to the Tarot Theatre technique. It maps its theoretical and artistic roots: from the archetypal analysis of Carl Jung to the Psychomagic of Alejandro Jodorowsky.
The book develops dramaturgical readings of Endgame by Samuel Beckett in relation to the Tarot of Marseilles, as well as Oedipus Rex through the Tarot deck of Salvador Dalí.
The Tarot cards do not function merely as illustrations. Instead, they form a complete dramaturgical system. Tarot is transformed into a contemporary artistic language — a new alphabet for today’s creator.
Publication collaborators
Text editing: Marivassia Kolliopoulou
Layout & Cover Design: Mr. Moschos @ WINK DESIGN
Artistic collaboration (artwork): Kostas Kosnetzov
The foreword was curated by the founders of Fly Theater, Katerina Damvoglou and Robin Beer.
