Music of the Winds and Seas is 4 panel work-in-progress that I officially began in 2020. Each panel measures 2’x3′ and features the music of a wind band composer, and the work as a whole is an exploration of humankind’s relationship with water.

“Hubris” is the 1st panel, and takes its name from the 1st mvt. of John Mackey’s Wine Dark Sea. Mackey was in turn inspired by the tale of the Odyssey, in which Odysseus’s ship is struck down at sea by Poseidon for his shameless arrogance. I took his melodies and visually placed them on masts rooted to a cruise ship– the Costa Concordia, which sank in 2012 off the coast of Italy due to the reckless stunts of a prideful modern-day Odysseus.

The style of the wave was inspired by The Great Wave off Kanagawa, but instead of Hokusai’s meek little boats bowing in submission, I wanted the papercutting to have appearance of a captain’s ill-advised, ill-fated clash with nature.

For the 32 people who perished aboard the Costa Concordia, their souls are represented as 32 stars in the sky, which are arranged in the constellations Argo Navis (the Ship Argo) and Delphinus (the Dolphin).

Thank you to John Mackey for kindly allowing me to use his music!