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Alexander McQueen, Katy England, Bobby Gillespie, Erin O'Connor, Nick Knight, Shaun Cole and Tom Zambaz

Transformer

In July 2002 Nick Knight extended an invitation to friends and colleagues including Alexander McQueen, Erin O’Connor, Juergen Teller, Katy England and Bobby Gillespie to participate in 'Transformer', a SHOWstudio project that challenged each to devise an act of transformation that held personal significance for them, inspired by the continual metamorphic potential of fashion imagery.

More in this project

  • Overview
  • Fashion Films
  • Image Gallery
  • Webcast
  • Essay

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Fashion Films

Four fashion films, recorded live on set in front of Nick Knight's camera during Transformer, showcase the metamorphosis enacted by Alexander McQueen, Erin O'Connor, Bobby Gillespie and Katy England.

  • The Bridegroom Stripped Bare - Alexander McQueen
  • Eagle - Alexander McQueen
  • Strip - Bobby Gillespie and Katy England
  • Eat Fashion - Erin O'Connor
  • The Bridegroom Stripped Bare - Alexander McQueen

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    The Bridegroom Stripped Bare - Alexander McQueen
  • Eagle - Alexander McQueen

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    Eagle - Alexander McQueen
  • Strip - Bobby Gillespie and Katy England

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    Strip - Bobby Gillespie and Katy England
  • Eat Fashion - Erin O'Connor

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    Eat Fashion - Erin O'Connor
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Image Gallery

About

Taking the metamorphic potential of fashion imagery and following this through to an extreme, in July 2002 Nick Knight extended an invitation to friends and colleagues including Erin O’Connor, Juergen Teller, Katy England and Bobby Gillespie to participate in Transformer, a SHOWstudio project that challenged each of these fashion creatives to devise and be filmed in an act of transformation that held personal significance for them. 

While some performances were lighthearted, others provided meaningful insight into the different creative processes at play. This was the first fashion shoot to be broadcast live via webcam, revealing the working methodologies that underpin contemporary fashion image-making in real time. SHOWstudio’s viewers were invited to e-mail live questions to ‘interview’ the team of creatives on set about their ideas, motivations and progress, creating a two-way dialogue between the event and its audience. 

Each performance was recorded in Polaroid stills, video footage and via webcam, allowing every aspect to be witnessed, during and after the event. The event is accompanied here by videos charting both the performances and the audience's reactions, and by an in-depth essay examining the 'cultural construction of gender' by academic and theorist Shaun Cole.

Credits / Contributors

  • Alexander McQueen Alexander McQueen
    Fashion Designer
  • Katy England Katy England
    Stylist
  • Bobby Gillespie Bobby Gillespie
    Musician
  • Erin O'Connor Erin O'Connor
    Model
  • Nick Knight Nick Knight
    Director
  • Shaun Cole Shaun Cole
    Curator
  • Tom Zambaz Tom Zambaz
    Digital Designer
  • Photography and direction: Nick Knight
  • Production: Phillippa Oakley-Hill
  • Styling: Simon Foxton and Jonathan Kaye
  • Hair: Sam McKnight at Premier
  • Make-up: Val Garland at Untitled
  • Manicure: Marian Newman at Premier
  • Casting: Darling Productions
  • Photographic assistance: Ben Dunbar-Brunton, Dom Cooper, Silvia Tchui
  • Styling assistance: Michelle Duguid
  • Technical Development: Chris Raettig
  • Location: Park Royal Studios
  • Music: Mileece, courtesy of Lo Recordings and open-ended. And Enseble, courtesy of Reflex and open-ended.
  • Interactive Development from 2016: Tom Zambaz

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Related Blog Articles

  • on 7 November 2016
    Our 2002 archive is now on YouTube!

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