Cities of You

System #4, Visit #1: Tiah-ahi

20 x 16", Gouache, Marker, and Pen on Paper

Spectacles of Tiah-ahi are most frequently observed in the high altitude regions. Here, when mariners cannot navigate through a midnight storm, they pray for Tiah-ahi. When it occurs, the horizon bends and your perceived landscape transforms. The dark blues and blacks that dominate the northern seas at night, like a switch, invert. Land masses in all four directions are seen clearly as if night turned to day and the earth turned flat. If you stare long enough, you can point out any city that comes to mind- even the hidden ones. Beware however that your understanding of distance and therefore time is now false. Many captains have led their ships to an end chasing the specter of a city that passed centuries ago.