Joel Wedel

Siphonophora Joel Wedel

Former oil company executive Sigil Bruen, now a washed-up recluse, finds himself seeing the images of his dead children in anything reflective. Whether it's a mirror or a pool of water, they follow and haunt him everywhere he goes. On top of that, the world seems to be a stark and barren place compared to the one he left, and he decides that it's time to change it all. With the help of a disillusioned mayor on the brink of losing his job, a young girl who Bruen believes to be the incarnation of his dead wife, and the homeless people of New York City whipped into a severe anti-corporate vehemence, Bruen strikes out at those who have crippled honour and integrity. Before he realizes it, five years have passed and the world has changed drastically. Bruen's movement has swept the world; and the urban landscape of downtown New York-the vast sprawl of concrete it was previously famous for-has been flattened and carried away. But Bruen soon learns that almost everything is better in theory than in reality. Siphonophora is the tale of Bruen's struggle with his own sanity and his attempts to overcome his resentment.