von bondage, up yours
A few days ago, something was afoot, and these shots are the result.
So, I'm doing a year long self-portraiture project, one shoot a month. When I was considering the theme for September's shoot, I was conscious that I wanted to do something fairly monumental (in part because the effort for August had been somewhat superficial) and started looking round for something ambitious that might still be doable, in my home, in one day.
However, I rapidly got really busy and forgot about the project for a while.
Girly icons
So anyway, a bit of time passed and one evening I was Googling around reading about Milla Jovovich's new film (Resident Evil 4). Milla's one of my pantheon of feminine icons (further delineated here) - you know, that ones the lost girl in you vaguely murmurs, "oh, I wish I was her", from time to time. You'll have your own. Milla's one of mine.
The first time I really became aware of her was in my tender years back in the nineties when she was the subject of an absolutely mindblowing fashion shoot for The Face magazine. It was shot by Ellen Von Unwerth, a photographer and film-maker I really admire - a woman who is uncanny at capturing female sexuality, the anima if you like. Her work is as erotically charged as Helmut Newton's but lacks the slightly sinister voyeuristic edge. She really excels at getting women to reach into themselves and discover a true, erotic self-expression and she certainly did that with Milla in this shoot which is heavy with sex, titillation, bondage and erotic play. Heady stuff.
So I was Googling away and came across a page which showcased some really high quality scans of that shoot. And there I was, I suddenly had my theme for the September leg of the 12-shoot year.
Homage / pastiche
I don't claim of course to be a model with Milla Jovovich's rare beauty or a photographer with even an ounce of Ellen Von Unwerth's skill or talent so I hope if either of those people happen upon this, I hope they'll take it in good faith as an honest and heartfelt homage.
The images aren't inch perfect recreations of the originals - that would be weird. Just a series of pastiches that I hope to create the same feeling of freshness, sexiness and excitement that I felt when I first picked up that issue of The Face in some newsstand in Soho back in the 90s.
A penchant for polymaths
I'm drawn to Milla Jovovich because of her magpie nature in relation to her work as much as for her lovely impish looks. I find I'm drawn to the creatively restless - those who, while not necessarily getting to the absolue pinnacle of any one field, nevertheless flit in a constantly fascinating manner from form to form and drag something distinctive from one discipline to another.
Milla herself is like that, a musician and songwriter, a model, actor and producer. I like that and see echoes of my own creative, exploratory urge in her career.
So you might say that these pictures are my tribute to someone I admire and like to see, maybe arrogantly, as a fellow spirit.
I enjoyed taking them and I hope you enjoy them as much. These are my favourites of the twelve month project so far.
(And yes, it is a bin bag...)
Part 9 (of 12)
This is part of a year long self-portrait project. I'm doing one shoot a month for the whole year. Click through to each month's set below.
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