Iridescent Blue Nameless

This is a photograph I took last week of a of dark purple Man'O War jellyfish.. near Alys Beach in Florida.

You might read that explanation, and be satisfied.. say, "Ok, I see."
You might read my explanation and think to yourself.. "Well yeah, of course, I already knew that."

But, I wish you could have been there with me on the beach.. when we discovered him. When we sat down and actually looked at this ridiculous blob stretched out.. slender tentacles still clinging to the edge of the ocean.. the incandescent shimmering of its body.. I wish you could have seen it up close.

What is in a name? A purple Man'O War jellyfish.
That is the name of this thing. At least that is what someone decided we should call it.
Does a name explain, does it define, does it de-mystify?
When we look at a picture like this.. are we calm?
Why are we calm?
Because we think we already understand what it is we see?
Do we believe that because we have named this thing.. that makes it fathomable?
We remember what we have been taught.. and an answer comes to our lips.
A name.
Jellyfish.

I love names.. they serve an amazing purpose. Allowing us to collectively identify and organize life in our minds.. allowing millions of people to communicate.
But I think the simplicity of names have untruthfully given simplicity to the objects themselves.
Instead of remaining a mind-blowing visual experience.. we have turned this creature into: "Jellyfish".. and in doing so, we've falsely removed its mystery and its magic.

Take away the name of what you see.. detach yourself from description, from definition, from your own responsibility to comprehend it.. and look at it again.
I think to see something as it exists without a name and without a description, is to see it with utmost clarity.








Andrew Tipton