Art Book Video Photography This work investigates the presence of isolation in places where past and present coalesce to become part of the same story. Certain aspects of the Icarus story reflect a portrait of the reality today on the island which was named after him. They are both narratives of escape: the storytelling of a dreamlike fantasy of escape from desolation and despair. Icarus Island, as it was, is now a barren desert landscape, pockmarked by destroyed and dilapidated buildings. A once thriving environment ravaged by a sudden and cruel war. It is a real and physical depiction of the devastation caused by war and man’s hubris. It contrasts with the nostalgic utopian view of a mythical story from the past. What survives is mostly flora and fauna which are naturally adapted to this arid environment; scorched by fierce sunlight most of the year. It is nature, and not agriculture, which dominates here. They are the survivors of the war; the human influence is minimal. A young man is preparing to escape: the flying machine evokes the story of Icarus as he and his father try to escape the tyranny of King Minos. Saddam Hussain’s spectre is omnipresent on Failaka. A utopia destroyed. People seeing: leaving a pervading sense of isolation. The machine is constructed. The parts are brought up to the top of the building. The young man prepares to y. The inevitable denouement ensues: the ecstasy of expectation; the delicious tasting of freedom.