It's Just Me

citiesofyou:

System #13: Mandioas (cont.)
16 x 20”, Gouache, Marker, and Pen on Paper

All cities have a birth. Most emerge from the ocean floor- often catapulting many miles to the surface. The beginning of any city that is born in this way has a unique signature, a Mandioas. This signature is in the form of a massive wave- some that curl, twist, and bend, some that foam, steam, and swell. But this wave is not entirely ephemeral. Like a fingerprint or footprint, a city’s Mandioas acts as a lasting unique identifier. Make ripples in a city’s reservoir or a resident’s bath and it will mimic the city’s Mandioas. If you look carefully, this is also true with when you stir your coffee. It also explains why you feel that the rain falls a certain way on your city. It is important to note that when cities merge, divide, grow, and fall, their Mandioas remain the same. Most modern cities share a Mandioas with others. Some cities have tens or even hundreds of Mandioas. Some Mandioas dance in vacant lakes, the only evidence of hidden cities.