The Myth of Icarus.
The moral of the myth warns against the needless search of instant satisfaction.
It all began with an idea - that the only possible way imprisoned father Dedalus and son Icarus could leave the island would be flight. Thus, Dedalus started gathering feathers from birds which later transformed into wings stuck together with wax. One pair of wings was for him and the other for Icarus. When the moment to escape arrived, Dedalus warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun, but he did not listen to his father and fell into the sea when, after getting to close to the sun, the wax in his wings melted and fell apart.
The flight of Icarus might be seen under the light of balance, equilibrium, and moderation. A compromise between the risk for flying too high, thus melting the wax with the sun, or too low, weighing down the wings by the spray of the water.
What is Nancy’s Icarus Project?
A studio project focusing on symbolism in Northern Berlin in the Spring of 2018 - 10x6 feet on drywall
Medium:
red, blue, and yellow chalk - portrayed with the crown and metal (victory), wings (freedom), scroll (knowledge), money (power), and Rod of Asclepius (medicine, outsmarting death) - which all disappear as you look through the red-hanging window, symbolizing the color of blood, therefore seeing the truth & one’s own mortality
copper - portrayed with the sun and water known to the Myth of Icarus, as well as the blood, skeletal/muscular framework of the figure, and flower - is one of the most ancient metals, and was the paint color used to shine through even the red filter - a symbol of that which remains
So what does it all mean?
