University of Crete
Committee for Gender Equality
The logo of the Committee for Gender Equality of the University of Crete and its symbolisms
Creators
Theochari Kyriakidou, student, Department of Biology
Evangelos Michelis, student, Computer Science Department
Society builds its path following the trail left by individual bodies
The trail is never identical, it is fraught with biases and well-trodden paths… After decades of struggles, male-dominated contexts have finally become versatile, and long-standing demands have pushed open doors that used to be closed tight. However, societies do not change overnight. Domestic violence keeps plaguing our world, gender disparagement, exploitation and trivialization of human life at the workplace seem to be deep-rooted behaviors in our society. It is our responsibility to provide equal opportunities, to create an environment of fruitful cooperation and peaceful coexistence for everyone.
The logo of the Committee for Gender Equality illustrates these very values - equal opportunities, equal rights, balance and harmony. The visualization of this ideal goal/objective is realized through the labyrinth design which is formed by the Greek acronym of CGE and its mirror image. The labyrinth has two entrances and both of them offer equal opportunities to reach the center or come back out. In both cases, the route is quite similar; the paths are symmetrical and so are the impasses that one may encounter.
In Greek mythology, Crete is closely related to the labyrinth symbol because of the myth of the Minotaur and the labyrinth created by the famous engineer Daedalus for king Minos at Knossos. You may also notice that an important element of the myth is the cooperation of Theseus and Ariadne in order to combat the “evil creature” residing in the intricate construction. The labyrinth is a symbol with a long history, to which different myths, religions and folk tales have assigned different meanings. One could argue that the common denominator across the diverse narratives is the perception of the labyrinth as a symbol for exploration, critical thinking and decision-making as well as emotional distress throughout this experience. Quoting Umberto Eco, “the labyrinth has an archetypal structure, which reflects the way in which we process the world, by defining the way we adapt to its specific substance”. (Paolo Santarcangeli. Il libro dei labirinti. Storia di un mito e di un simbolo. Frassinelli, Milano, 1984, p. XII).
Theochari Kyriakidou and Evangelos Michelis