A City Doomed to Fall Apart

“Why is Thekla's construction taking such a long time?”
“So that its destruction cannot begin.”

“If someone puts his eye to a crack in a fence, he sees cranes pulling up other cranes, scaffoldings that embrace other scaffoldings, beams that prop up other beams.”

A Scale Model of Thekla

If someone puts his eye to a crack in a fence, he sees cranes pulling up other cranes, scaffoldings that embrace other scaffoldings, beams that prop up other beams.

“If asked whether they fear that, once the scaffoldings are removed, the city may begin to crumble and fall to pieces, they add hastily, in a whisper, ‘Not only the city.’”

A Short Film of Thekla

In-progress Stills and Sketches

“‘We will show [the plan] to you as soon as the working day is over; we cannot interrupt our work now,’ they answer.”

Characters of Thekla

Abagail has a date tonight. She's trying so hard to seem put together right after work, but it feels like walking through the city at night surrounds you in a plume of dust and debris. She wants him to think she's competent and clean and like the city hasn't filled her lungs.

Her date, Samuel, is an architect. On his first few buildings, he proposed clearing the land and building a foundation first. He still hopes that they'll listen to him someday. Like he hopes that him and Abagail will work out, but the air doesn't clear when they walk through the city.

Her date, Samuel, is an architect. On his first few buildings, he proposed clearing the land and building a foundation first. He still hopes that they'll listen to him someday. Like he hopes that him and Abagail will work out, but the air doesn't clear when they walk through the city.

John is Samuel's best friend. He was trained as a doctor, but doctors don hard hats and work construction in their scrubs instead of any “non-essential medical care” — a phrase drilled into him when his Mom broke her hip.

The people of Thekla always wear a construction vest and hard hat, since the machinery is always being operated, and a fashion industry has emerged. It shows just how much people have convinced themselves that they don’t need to leave Thekla. They have art and a life here, despite the dirt and debris and hint of dread. They don't need the fresh air.

Alma Erro

Ariel McGee