Orpheus in the Underpass

This book is the first product of the ongoing collaboration between artist Ross McKessock and haikuist Gabriel Rosenstock. Inspired by the image of Orpheus in the underworld, Rosenstock has composed a haiku rensaku in response to an audio recording of McKessock duetting with wheezing buses, heckling onlookers, and the ambient sounds of Oxford in an underpass sandwiched between City Council offices and the ongoing construction of a new shopping centre. McKessock has, in turn, illustrated the haiku sequence with his photographs of the site.