the critics of icarus

the critics of icarus

artwork by trinity behrends

design by trinity behrends

concept & text by trinity behrends

created 2011contact telise314@gmail.com

Years ago...

I did a large series of work based on the mythology of Icarus.

I was young and thought I knew what advice to heed and likewise,

which advice to ignore...

Icarus-

we all know the tale.

How he ignored reason and fatherly advice.

He became over-zealous in his construction of wings.

Meticulously designed wings made through

hours of chasing birds for defeathering.

Pillaging honey hives for beeswax. The smell of melted wax and burnt feather coming from his workshop until deep into the night.

And for all of his bipolar energies, came lovely, lofty, sugar-scented wings.

Astronautical wings.

Imagine the churning in the stomach, the flush of adrenaline to the heart as he rose above trees and rivers and mountain.

With the wind in his face and his shadow below, was Icarus so bad to take to the skies?

Keeping yourself grounded for the sake of

the committee, the nay-sayers, the critics-

is that really the lesson?

Is this what I want to take away?

Instead, maybe I need some inspiration to build an instrument of soaring perfection.

Perhaps the cautionary tale is knowing that the price may be melted wings...

...and taking flight anyway.

the critics of icarus