Cities in Dust

“Cities in Dust” is an achingly beautiful song and music video directed, performed, and produced by award-winning filmmaker and musician Mara Katria as an homage to the incomparable post-punk / new-wave band Siouxsie and the Banshees. The aesthetic of the shadow-play captured in Ms. Katria’s music video matches the moving nature of the song, and using a symbolically emotional kit of archaeological tools she delves into the duality of lament and hope regarding the marks made –– and hopefully not lost –– by ancient civilizations across the globe as well as those made by individuals that will come and go in the modern age and beyond. This is emphasized by Mara’s juxtaposition of ultra modern electronic layering with timeless organic elements in both the song and video, like the sound of autumn leaves she crackled into dust – as well as audio from actual clay artifacts caressed and resonated for authentic and unique effect. Likewise, the accompanying short film is inspired by the prehistoric art of storytelling through shadows evocative of the philosophical concept of ‘Plato’s Cave’. The resulting piece benefits from expertly rendered set design by J. Jeff Ungar, including a massive handcrafted pendulum further illustrating the passage of time.