The Unwinding

A meditation in music, word and image from Nia Harries and Jackie Morris.

In 2020 a small book was published. The book’s aim was to be a refuge for the troubled soul. Now the book has become a performance by acclaimed cellist Nia Harries, accompanied by the words and images from the book. Described by Maria Popover of The Marginalia as “An uncommonly enchanted painted poem celebrating the wilderness of the imagination and our capacity for love, trust, and hope.’

The musical composition for the Unwinding uses the cello to it’s full, technically virtuosic with rich expressive harmonies, as well as simple plain melodies drawing on the tradition of Welsh folk songs. There are dramatic changes of texture and mood within the music, closely interwoven with the poetry and stunning art work.

Jackie Morris is an author and illustrator. Her works include The Lost Words and The Lost Spells, co-created with Robert Macfarlane, and The Unwinding, an illustrated book for dreamers, published by Unbound. Her works have been translated into many languages, though as she says, images need no translation. She has illustrated and written over 60 books, and now her work focusses on both peace and protest, in the most beautiful way possible.