when she ran away to the circus

Temperley SS 2010/11 Zoetrope Circus Installation

This 12 foot zoetrope was created to showcase Temperley's SS circus inspired collection and was exhibited in both New York Fashion Week and London Fashion Week. A zoetrope is a device that produces the illusion of motion from a rapid succession of static images and was one of the earliest types of film making.

I was drawn to the original concept behind this fashion film. They have taken a very simple way of creating motion images that has a vintage feel to produce a modern fashion film to exhibit their contemporary collection. You don't often see modern designers reverting back to old fashioned techniques but I feel this adds a real originality to the video which creates more interest to the viewer.

The garments featured fit well with the 'vintage circus' theme created by the zoetrope and the MUA Lucia Puci has reflected this well in her makeup looks. She combines flawless skin with bold features highlighting the lips using velvet red tones on the lips and contoured cheekbones. The models appear more like toys as their movements are very jagged and static, this movement is created by the zoetrope when the images are in motion. I feel this film, although based on a circus, has a edge to it, this sense of unease comes from the dark background and eary music. When the zoetrope suddenly comes to a halt it starts to make you question what else is in the room with it. Some of the models movements also reflect very uncomfortable and unnatural positions which may make the audience feel uneasy.