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