What is the significance of this work to you? What is the significance of the form you chose for this work? What was your process for creating this work?

This collaborative piece with the poet Terrence Sykes emerged totally spontaneously while in virtual conversation about the moon and shells etc. Terrence posted a photo from his home in the USA, with his typical cup with tea, fronted with another favourite object of his — a shell. A haiku emerged spontaneously on my side to complement this magical image, forming the collaborative piece presented here: a hybrid of image and poetry that sparked one second across the Atlantic, in the form of one brief collaboration; a celebration of the moment.

Silvia El Helo is an artist and linguist with roots in Jordan and Slovakia. She worked intensively with BELTS (Bratislava English Language Theatre Society) in Slovakia and appeared in several productions of the alternative theatre ensemble STOKA. Silvia is the co-author / producer of the lyrical short film Kundara (Shoes), that follows the steps of a young woman fleeing from the Middle East to the shores of Europe. She is currently living in London (UK).

Terrence Sykes was born and raised in the rural coal mining area of Virginia. This isolation brings the theme of remembrance to his creations, whether real or imagined. His other interests include cooking, gardening, heirloom vegetable research & foraging wild edibles. His poetry, photography and flash fiction have been published in Bangladesh, Canada, Ireland, India, Mauritius, Pakistan, Scotland, Spain and the USA.