A World Away
My fascination with dance, which I pursued into my mid teens, has never left me and movement remains an important element in my work. The objects I create are inanimate and lifeless, but they come to life with the movement of the body, like a mask or a puppet. I had long dreamt of capturing the movement of my pieces that a still photograph does not convey. This video marked the beginning of a new direction in my work. It was also my first collaborative project.
Back in April 2015 I had the pleasure of meeting Jenna Lee at a party. We agreed to collaborate on making a video of a dancer wearing some oversized jewellery. In order to create an otherworldly feel we needed people with the necessary skills and equipment for shooting in a blacked out space and we were fortunate to gather a talented team.
Time was short and I completed the necklace only days before the shoot, not knowing how it would behave on Nancy, our lovely dancer. Fortunately, it worked. In fact there were a few surprises as it did more than I'd envisaged - it flicked up with a roll of one shoulder and closed over her face, like a Venus flytrap, when Nancy shrugged her shoulders. I stood back and watched as the necklace was brought to life in ways I hadn't imagined.
The last addition to the mix was my good friend Ed from the band, GAPS. I had been following their music for a while and played their debut album, In, Around The Moments, at the shoot. The mood of the record fit perfectly with the feeling we wanted to create. Ed and I discussed the idea of making a new track/sound scape for the video, but on seeing the rough cut, he proposed that our video could be the music video for their next single, A World Away. And this is the result.
Click hear to watch the full music video
Huge thanks to everyone who gave their time and creative energy to the project.
Choreographer: Jenna Lee of JLee Productions
Dancer: Nancy Osbaldeston
Music: GAPS
Camera/lighting assistant: Benjamin Ringwood
Production assistant: Matt McCartney
Colourist: Dave Austin
DoP and Editor: Josh Cowdry
Hair and Makeup: AJ Juttla
Assistant and still photography: Ellen Alberti
Assistant: Stacey Blackman
With Special thanks to:
The Royal Ballet of Flanders
Dr Sarah Siegler
Inge Heylen