Wonderland – ‘Gaia, The Birth Of An End’
“Gaia, The Birth Of An End‘ (200 x 130cm)
Tonight it’s dark in the studio, and I’m curled up in my chair staring at this blank page, about to write the first Wonderland diary entry in 9 long months.Outside its raining, and this morning brought the first frost I have noticed since last winter. Earlier, as I walked to work I stopped and watched a flutter of yellow leaves circle my boots, reminding me fondly of the cloak I made for ‘The Journey Home’ almost one year ago to the day. These fragments of seasons have become like old friends I find myself silently greeting, one by one as they return unannounced, blown by the autumn wind. The landscape is changing in colour and I’m hoping for snow, as there is still one last picture I need to create before I can let the story complete. But for now, after months of work I am finally ready to let this last chapter unfold, of what has since become the last 4.5 years of my life. I still can’t imagine the day I write the words ‘The End’ but it is slowly becoming a palpable reality, which leaves a bitter sweet emotion in my gut. The pictures I have created over the last few months have at times pushed me to my limit, and I know I have learnt so much about myself in the process. I have had days when I have never felt so happy to be alive, standing in the woods with my camera, so grateful for every precious moment and others where my own crushing lack of self confidence has made me sick with worry, as to whether or not I have created something good enough. It is always the same with me, all or nothing. The highest highs and lowest lows, but throughout it all I can say I have tried my hardest. I faced challenges I was genuinely scared of, but forced myself through as they were the only way to produce the ending I always dreamt of. So I just wanted to say how thankful I am to the people who have been on this journey with me and taken Wonderland into their hearts, both the followers of the project and the irreplaceable tiny team I work so closely with.
This is every ounce of what I have in me, and more. It has taken so long to to make everything by hand, and I know the wait has been excruciating, but sitting here now I feel it has all been worth it, and I am so excited to share this last part of the journey with you.
So to begin, I named this first portrait ‘Gaia, The Birth of an End’, as it about the last seen character ‘Gaia’s’ transition from a mortal to her true goddess form. I named her after the Greek term for Mother Earth, and this picture represents her incarnation (birth) surrounded by an explosion of vibrating, shimmering energy. Her character affects everything, as she changes so to will the landscape, creating a butterfly effect that sets in motion the end of the story. It was heavily influenced by how I see the human spirit; after losing my mother people often ask me what I imagine comes afterwards and my only answer is my belief in an endless energy, the circle I feel we are all a part of. My mother is with me always, she is the earth, the rain, the wind in my hair was I walk to work. The body may cease, but I feel the vibrations of people continue, like ripples from a stone cast in a lake, and It was this power of spirit that I have tried to express within the picture.
I expect some will see the scale of the headdress and ask why I didn’t focus more on the costume, but that was not my purpose with this piece. It had to be about emotional impact, transition and a human connection with the viewer, My work is never about clothes, which is why I get so frustrated when people call me a fashion photographer, I guess that’s why I write these diaries for anyone who wishes to understand my motivations. The finished piece will be printed at 2 meters high and so although on a computer screen it is hard to take in the detail, when faced with the print in real life it is a completely different experience and is the reason I did not crop the frame tighter. Printing and exhibiting my work has been a learning curve over the last few years and has drastically changed the way I look at my work, with the treatment of this portrait being a perfect example.
Finished Costume
The headdress, like the character was a reinvention of the original piece worn by Gaia in the rapeseed field pictures. The basis of my design was to elevate the costume to a new goddess- state. I was heavily influenced by Inca gods, and my trip to Tibet in 2012, during which I specifically collected traditional bells and tribal necklaces with this piece in mind.The headdress was entirely hand painted, dyed and beaded by myself and weighs so much, that it had to be wired to a wooden beam in my studio to take the weight off the models head.
Separate to the headdress I wanted to create body adornment for Gaia, which came in the form of her giant over sized necklaces. Every part of these were hand made, beaded and painted by me, apart from the central traditional piece.
Making The Costume
A few examples of the things that influenced the characters costume and styling. The film Apocalypto , Tibetan traditional dress and the history of decorative Inca gods in art.
Shooting The Picture
Throwing powder on to the backdrop
To be honest the day of the shoot was very hard going. It was actually my last photo of the summer, as I had shot everything out of sequence in order to get the right weather for each scene (beginning with the snow back in February). It had been a manic 2 weeks of shooting 3 huge pictures back to back, and the pace was almost impossible to deal with. I had been awake for what felt like days, gluing painting, researching make-up, sourcing environmentally safe powder paint, the list was endless. The night before the shoot Elbie, myself and our model Marianna had been up until 1am attempting a make-up trial, but in the end we had to face defeat from exhaustion. Between us we managed to wire the enormous headdress to the ceiling of my studio, and left it suspended for the following day.
By the time our new film maker Richard Wakefield arrived the next morning I was so tired I could barely speak and dear Elbie was faced with the hardest make-up challenge I have ever given her. In total Marianna’s entire preparation and body painting took over 5 hours. Elbie and I work incredibly closely and in some cases the make-up will develop like a painting as Elbie builds more and more depending on how I feel it balances with the costume. This day was no exception and the make-up became the most complicated look Elbie has produced for the series. I needed something powerful and extraordinary, with a hint of tribal. It was all about balance, and so she worked relentlessly with yellows and shimmering powders until we jokingly felt she had achieved the ‘holy light’ appearance I had wanted so badly. The yellow tears were the crowning glory, and as they dried they unexpectedly cracked becoming a perfect subtle nod to some of the original tribal images from my research.
Once Marianna was in position I had one last challenge to face, which was the coloured yellow powder. As I described earlier I needed this picture to be about an explosion of radiating human energy, which in the end we created using two techniques. The first was the real time throwing of powdered paint into the shot and the second was the happy accident of realising the powder instantly gripped and remained on the black backdrop behind the model. This made life so much easier as I was able to control the paint’s direction and shape and then bring both together in post creating the ‘vibration’ effect I was after.
In truth I’m still very new to shooting in a studio environment, in fact I have barely any experience. All my pictures are usually shot out in the landscape and I find being indoors quite an alien and nerve wracking feeling. It is not something that gives me that tingle down my spine, it feels sterile and controlled, but due to the weight of the headdress it was the only option. However, despite wrestling with the powder and lighting, in the end there still came that wonderful, creeping familiar moment when our model truly became ‘Gaia’. It always takes a while to reach that point, but as I worked with Marianna on her breathing and played music to help her mood, eventually she reached a slight trance state of mind allowing her to sink into the emotion.
So at long last, just as the sun began to fade and a cool evening breeze drifted through the studio everything fell into place. It was last shoot of a long summer, I had just fired 700 shots fuelled by pure adrenaline and spurred on by the comedy of the yellow powder that now coating everyone’s skin, hair and clothes. It had been a riot of colour and my farewell to the series, which ironically would be the first I would share here today.
Wonderland was finally returned, and I cannot wait to share the adventure we have been on ……
Kirsty,
With great admiration, I just want to say thank you so very much for sharing your story and your gift to the world. You are incredible. I cannot wait to see the end of this great adventure you have allowed us all to journey with you.
Stunning. Stop in my tracks downright unbelievably beautiful. The detail, the colors, the hours of work, the love sweat and tears were all worth it. LOVE this photograph. Please let me know if I could ever buy a print of it. Warm regards, Steph MacKinnon (new admirer and inspired for life 🙂
The expanse of your creative spirit fills my heart.
Absolutely breath-taking! I can (and will) stare at it for hours. Very insightful blog post. Gorgeous final image, beautiful process. Thank you for sharing this with us, truly inspiring!
I can’t express in words how inspiring this has been for me. Your work is magnificent and watching the process has been amazing. Thank you,
Teresa
Everything that you do absolutely amazes me and sets my imagination in motion. Thank you for not only sharing your images/imagination, but the process as well.
Ahhh oh my Kirsty. I have followed your Wonderland epic pieces since I first discovered you back in 2011. You work just radiates passion, you are a true artist and have turned your grief into something so beauitful it makes every creative bone in my body ache. You are such a inspiration. I have loved reading about your journey and hearing how you have embraced discovery. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you.
This brought a surge of energy and peace to my mind and body. You are a beautiful soul. Thank you so very much for sharing your journey with the world.
Kirsty,
I don’t have the words for how beautiful this image is. It brought tears to my eyes and sent a shiver down my spine. You, as so many have deservedly told you, are amazing. X
Wow, oh wow, oh wow!!!! I can hardly speak!!! I am in love with every part of this! I know I’m going to sound like a crazy person, but your words could have fallen from my lips! Your struggles with “all or nothing” and not feeling good enough at times. You are an incredible inspiration!! I am at a loss for words! That film as incredibly stunning!!! Thank you for pouring your heart into these creations! You, my friend are a genius!!! LOTS of love your way!!
Oh my gosh! I genuinely gasped when I first saw this photo and proceeded to mutter ‘wow’ under my breath throughout the video. Your attention to detail is absolutely mind-blowing. *bows down to you*!! 😀 xx
Oh my gosh! I genuinely gasped when I first saw this photo and proceeded to mutter ‘wow’ under my breath throughout the video. Your attention to detail is absolutely mind-blowing. *bows down to you*!! 😀 xx
I fell so proud for you, you’re such genuine creative and wonderful artist. It’s beyond words. Breath taking. Thank you for sharing such inspiring work, as always.
Dear Kirsty,
you’re an absolutely amazing and inspiring artist, a true creator of fairy-tales! Thank you so much for creating the Wonderland series and sharing it with us!
All the best!
Kirsty, I have no words. This image is easily one of my new favorites from the series – it’s simply breathtaking. The sheer amount of work you put into every shoot pays off every time because your art is like no other. You’re so inspiring.
The work and creativity to visualize these pieces throughout the series is amazing and then the skill and talent to bring them all to us is beyond words , Thank You for taking us on this journey ….
Congratulations Kristy on an AMAZING series of images!! I am in awe of you and look to you as inspiration to keep creating and pushing myself in my photos! xx
Congratulations Kirsty on an AMAZING series of images!! I am in awe of you and look to you as inspiration to keep creating and pushing myself in my photos! xx
This is stunning. I am obsessed with anything god-like, especially mother nature, so having this passion of mine mixed with your astonishing photography is like a scene jumping out of my imagination. I love writing about characters like this, and your keen eye for extreme beauty only inspires me more. Thank you for sharing your glorious talents.
What an awe-inspiring act of courage, the making of this beautiful piece! So many layers of creativity enfolded into one another! The final product is breathtaking. But to share in the intimacy of the process, to be brought inside and travel towards the summit with you, enriches the gift beyond words. The greatest praise of this work is how terribly words will fail to describe the encounter.
Dear Kirsty, what a phenomenon you are! There could be not a more beautiful, powerful, divine and sublime end to this story than this last picture. Seriously! Since I have known you and your work, you keep surprising me with your perseverance to get the best out of yourself, and every time you manage to achieve this! Congratulations Kirsty! Can’t wait to show this magnificent piece at our gallery!!!!
XXX
You have a magically creative gift….thank you for sharing your story and your work.
When everyone else is jumping on the light and airy bandwagon, you are staying true to your very unique artistic style. I love your work and think you are an inspiration.
Best,
Claudia
http://www.claudiaguyphotography.com
It’s beautiful.
Thank you for sharing the behind the scenes movie. You and your team have much to be proud of.
I absolutely adore everything you, breathtaking art! What i would do to be a part of your creative process xxx
It has been a worth while wait to see the beauty that has been created in these past months. Seeing behind the scenes and reading your in-depth diary entries always allows me to connect with your visionary intentions as well as taking on my own interpretation. This is going to be one of my favourite sets of photographs from the collection. Congratulations Kirsty, I cannot wait to see the collection. You are my best inspiration to create my secret world within photography and I hope that one day I can be half as successful as yourself. Best wishes x
truly remarkable and so very inspirational I doubt anyone else could ever do anything quite this amazing, but there you go, people can do incredible things.
Extraordinary!!!!
I’m brand-new to this site just today (via a post at hecetdemeter.com) and all I can say is just WOW!!!
I will certainly read back through your prior posts – it appears that you are absolutely on a magical quest with this thesis – and Magic is sorely needed just now.
By the way, it just occurred to me that WOW may derive from Wonder Of Wonders….
Thank you so much for sharing your art with the world, Kirsty.
Deborah
You are an inspiration <- and these words are not even close enough to describe what I really think about your artworks. These are not just photos, they are masterpieces of art at the highest level. Do you know this moment when you see an image and you think it can not get any better? And you do it better every time I see a new photo you've created. Thank you 🙂
Kristy,
Your photographs, full bloom with beauty in its purest form, struck a cord in my heart. Thank you, for sharing these stunning gifts with the world. I wait with bated breath for your future works.
Inspiring. Amazing. Beautiful. Talented! WOW!
so beautiful your work! congratulations for all of you! bravissimo! bravissimo!
I bursting into tears and have a goose flesh. Such a grateful for being here to watch your artwork, I’ve been touched. It’s so splendid! Thanks for sharing 🙂
You have to create Tarot cards !!!
I am not an artist – I’m an English teacher. My classes just finished reading the novelette Anthem, by Ayn Rand. The two main characters in this very dystopian society rename themselves Prometheus and Gaia, aka “The Golden One.” I was very excited to see your Gaia media clip. Beautiful. I explained to my 7th graders the different types of artists I envisioned that worked on the project. We loved it! They were transfixed and gasped audibly at the final product. Thank you for that!
Kirsty,
Your work is amazing. I am overwhelmed with emotion as I look at this portrait/art piece/creation. Thank you for sharing such a gift with us.
So proud and honoured to own the smaller version of this photo. I will adore and treasure it . When I go (many many years from now I hope!), I will hand it down to my daughter for her to admire and cherish too. I am so excited for your book and can’t wait for my copy to arrive in time for Christmas. Your dedication, passion and obsession is truly inspirational. Your mum would be so proud. x