DEER BRAINS: 'Evil Eye' by Emily Scarlett Romain x Charlotte Emily Gibbs

We received a nice submission from Emily Scarlett Romain containing an interesting shoot she recently did working with stylist Charlotte Emily Gibbs, we were really into the film noire look that she captured and asked her to write a statement about the concept behind her work and the collaboration.

"The shoot is inspired by 1920’s German cinema and dance. We wanted to convey a dark sexuality; a sensuality both enthralling and dangerous.In the films of directors Lang, Murnau and Pabst light and shadow is used tocreate contrast, such as good against evil, piety against the occult, purityagainst sex. In an age of complexity, changing gender roles and anxiety,insecurity and fear were reflected in the visual arts. We used light and shadowto illuminate the models face and cast shadows, in order to create intrigue andmystery. Another influence we wanted to capture in the shoot was theprogression of dance and the liberation of the body. In the 1920’s the body wasfreed from traditional, strict dance forms, particularly ballet. Dancers suchas Mary Wigman and Mata Hari sought to incorporate primitive movement intotheir routines and to awaken a sense of free sexuality in their repertoire. Theprogressive movements appeared hypnotic and mesmerizing; the audience becametransfixed on the female dancer’s rhythmic body. Through double exposure andthe use of mirrors, the movement and repetition of the image becomes hypnoticand we wanted the series to capture the primitive rhythm of the progressivedancers."