Wednesday, 4 January 2012

Totally blending the lines

Quiet Spite by *GothicNarcissusSwitch to another dream, to a quiet spite.
Think back at some time when there was a fading touch.
Colour me white and paint the vistas grey.
Everyday there’s an electric ray of all too many shimmer-lights.

And I can see another time,
Another face, forgotten days.
And I can see another time,
Another face, forgotten days.

[ Astray - Theatre of Tragedy ]

Blending the lines, bending the rules, sabotaging commonplaces and clichés, experimenting brand new solutions, exploring different aesthetics, reinventing ourselves and our work: this is what this photoshoot of me modelling for Briar Rose is all about. After taking a step further in my exploration path as a photographer, I could not miss to do so as a model too, in particular given the chance to work with such a gifted photographer as Briar Rose.
The general idea for this photoshoot was born when I told her I wanted a different, more masculine look, with a much more sober make up and even beard. And, in particular, that I wanted to be more expressive than I have been in the last few years. Even though I initially thought of something more runway-ish, she seized the opportunity to shake me totally out of my polished Dandy character to turn me into a wild indie Mother Nature’s child, totally reinventing my look: shapeless jumper and huge woolen scarf combined with my black skinny jeans and shoes, wild hair, natural make up and there I was, a totally different version of myself directly out of Indie magazine.
That we’d blend the lines and bend the rules was something that showed from the very beginning, when we managed to pack a Canon and a Nikon camera in the same bag and ended up using both. For once, I gave up any directing pretence and just let Briar Rose shoot and direct me without interfering, totally relying on her. The set we chose was as harsh as my look, a small meadow with dry grass and brambles with a very sharp light that enhatched the general effect.
One notable thing is that the further we went with shooting, the more daring we got, so Briar Rose suggested that I tried to pose bare-chested and I agreed despite my general unease in doing so (she is the only one that succeded in getting me topless so far, and this is the second instance), another challenge I was willing to accept. And this is how this unusual (for me) photoshoot was born. I am very satisfied with the result, as it shows a totally different side of me. As Briar Rose said, though, I was not really “myself” yet, as I was showing a different character, an “IndieNarcissus” I stepped in the shoes of just for the photoshoot, but given my general lack of genuineness when I pose, it was a nice outcome anyways. Besides, I really liked the experiment and I really want to try again someday. Meanwhile, enjoy the photos (which I will be adding in the next days as I publish them on deviantART):
Dying In Your Heart by *GothicNarcissusUnbroken, Unchained by *GothicNarcissus
Song Of The Dispossessed by *GothicNarcissus
A Moment In Time by *GothicNarcissusShaman by *GothicNarcissus

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