Russell C. Banks
Floating World | As passenger and artist, I both embrace and witness the tension between the dream and the reality— that amorphous border between our mundane, daily lives and the packaged, fantasy world the cruise industry sells. I see it as a metaphor for how many of us live—who we are at this time.
I’m drawn to situations where the veneer of elegance and glamour seems a bit thin, and the humor and irony begin to show through. And behind it all is desire: our human need to be indulged, to feel special, to get the selfie.
This project started in 2016, when I began walking the ships with a camera to make something interesting during my wife’s favorite kind of vacation. My photojournalism degree from long ago led me to document the overdone decor, the specialized architecture and best of all—the way the passengers adapted to this artificial environment. As the body of work took form, I named it after the “Floating World,” (Ukiyo) of Japan’s Edo period, where privileged society gathered to seek pleasure and relaxation through art, entertainment and a variety of indulgences.
After the pandemic’s onset, the fleet was grounded for nearly two years, but in fall 2021 the ships resumed sailing, and I am happy to be working again, just as thousands of others were eager to reenter the Floating World after a dark and difficult time. russellcbanks.com
I thought this venue had potential, so I set up my camera and waited. Another Celibrity ship has a similar scene, but the fake flowers are white.
I was initially drawn by the hands and the feet-head-feet rhythm, then discovered the death-like grace.
Contrasts abound on the ship, such as her grace and his awkwardness. Grandfather? Stranger? Lover?
The multiple levels of outdoor decks offer a different perspective, and I found these people in an all-too-rare quiet moment.
I found the irony is this rear-deck scene, with the private balconies, the climbing wall, and the roaring blue ocean just feet away.
I shot this plastic dolphin on another Royal Caribbean ship a few months earilier, but it wasn't positioned nearly as well as this one. Again, hanging around paid off.
