This may be my most favorite line from any NPR article, “Inky chose liberty over security.”
The article chronicles the great escape of an octopus named Inky from its tank at the National Aquarium of New Zealand to the open ocean. I have always thought octopus were beautiful and engaging creatures. I’ve loved seeing them used as imagery from early Greek pottery to modern artwork produced today. There is something alluring and arcane about these creatures that seems to of spanned time and cultures. Learning how intelligent and sensitive they are only adds to their mystery.
The reason that I’m bringing this article to your attention beyond my own fascination with these creatures is because of the words ‘liberty over security’ used in the article. Those concepts are exactly the theme explored in my Nest Series and this particular piece came to mind. I imagined Inky squeezing his way one tentacle at a time from the safety and security of his tank towards the freedom the open ocean brings just as these fragile ceramic forms wiggle outside their shell and risk breakage. But there is a beauty that comes from the vulnerable moments in these chances we take to live beyond the walls and limits of our own world.
Hopefully Inky is out there enjoying his freedom and has taught us a lesson to not be afraid to leave the safety of the tank for a taste of adventure and liberty.
To learn more about the Nest Series…
To learn more about Inky and The National Aquarium of New Zealand…