>Project Blog
By SHOWstudio, 12:18 Mon 30 Jun 2008
If you weren't glued to your screen for our live shoot in March, here's your chance to relive the wonder of 'Wonderland'. Model Alice Dellal, biodegradable polymers and several tons of H2O take centre stage as Professor Helen Storey's creations get their first (and last) outing, under the watchful lens of Nick Knight. The resulting film, documenting the 'underwater fireworks' of Helen's once-in-a-lifetime collection is now available to view as fitting memorial to this remarkable project.
By Alex Fury, 18:45 Fri 28 Mar 2008
As our 'Wonderland' shoot draws to a close, our water tanks of dye (and the polymer on Alice's face) are all that remain of three of Helen Storey's groundbreaking outfits.
By Alex Fury, 18:41 Fri 28 Mar 2008
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Helen Storey's definitely 'dry clean only' jeans have their first (and last) handwash.
By Alex Fury, 18:37 Fri 28 Mar 2008
Alice ready to disintegrate Helen Storey's blue jeans, our final outfit of the day.
By Alex Fury, 18:11 Fri 28 Mar 2008
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Before our last look of the day, our star model Alice Dellal takes some time out to talk about her 'Wonderland' experiences.
By Alex Fury, 17:49 Fri 28 Mar 2008
Alice emerges.
By Alex Fury, 17:36 Fri 28 Mar 2008
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The print on the fringe dress disintegrates, dispersing dye throughout the water tank as Alice swims through her underwater ballet.
By Alex Fury, 17:08 Fri 28 Mar 2008
Alice and Helen's leopard-print fringe dress 'Mabel' ready and waiting for their Ophelia moment.
By Alex Fury, 16:15 Fri 28 Mar 2008
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No-one was entirely sure what was going to happen as Alice hit the water. The estimated twenty minutes actually amounted to around three before Helen's suit was completely dissolved. As Alice was lowered in, and the suit began to break away from itself, the pattern climbing through the current, clinging to Alice's skin and spiralling away in polymer arabesques through the quickly-clouded water, the whole studio fell absolutely silent. Wonderland is an accurate name indeed, as this was a truly wonderful experience. And of course, there's still more to come...
By Alex Fury, 16:02 Fri 28 Mar 2008
Alice Dellal, suspended on a steel cage above a tank of lukewarm water and set to be naked in, oh, twenty minutes or so. And she still manages to make us all laugh - what a trouper!
By Alex Fury, 15:32 Fri 28 Mar 2008
Image via phone:
It's odd being on the other side of the camera, even when you're just the test shot. From my perch behind tank #1, here's a fish-eye view (excuse the pun) of Nick and his assistants Ruth and Andy setting up the first underwater shot.
By Alex Fury, 15:07 Fri 28 Mar 2008
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I grabbed Helen Storey at a rare quiet moment during shooting to talk about her experiences of the Wonderland project, the shoot, and how she feels about seeing her collection vanish before her eyes.
By Alex Fury, 14:44 Fri 28 Mar 2008
Image via phone:
Nick, Jonathan and Helen examine Alice's shots before we break for lunch. Next up: the water tank, and those underwater fireworks!
By Alex Fury, 14:16 Fri 28 Mar 2008
Image via phone:
'She says her trousers are melting to her legs!' is not a soundbyte you often hear on a shoot, but Wonderland is no ordinary project! Here, Alice strikes a pose in the final look of our dry shoot. After Helen's transparent leopard opera-coat and turquoise fishnet mermaid gown, she gave us a sample of the formidable tailoring she was renowned for during her fashion career. Although this equally sharp, soluble example is slightly less commercially viable (unfortunately).
By Alex Fury, 13:19 Fri 28 Mar 2008
Image via phone:
Helen and Helen (Storey and Bailey, respectively) put the finishing touches to model Alice Dellal's translucent opera coat and fringed bustier before our first shot of the day.
By Alex Fury, 13:03 Fri 28 Mar 2008
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By Alex Fury, 11:58 Fri 28 Mar 2008
Image via phone:
Testing lights and shot angles around Helen's printed fringe dress ('Mabel'is her official name, according to Helen), you start to get a real sense of the aesthetics of the coming shoot. Backlit and silhouetted to emphasise the translucency of the polymer fabric, this gives some idea of the way the 'dry' images will look and feel, and still giving a sense of dramatic deep-sea chiarascuro. The scale of the water tanks, meanwhile, are a subtle indication of the spectacular but as-yet untested underwater shots which are still somewhat of an enigma to us all. Or, well, to me at least...
By Alex Fury, 10:54 Fri 28 Mar 2008
Image via phone:
With our live feed starting in just a few moments, I took the opportunity to inspect Helen Storey's wares in their final forms. The soluble polymer 'fabrics' used for each and every garment have been fretted, sliced and punched to resemble everything from ostrich feathers to sequins to embroidered tulle and even denim. Although every garment will be photographed 'dry' today, only half will go on to meet their watery graves: the other half of Helen's 'Wonderland'collection will go on to a further exhibitions in Sheffield and Belfast later this year.
By Alex Fury, 08:53 Fri 28 Mar 2008
Image via phone:
Ross and I are currently braving the unseasonable chill on our way to the Wonderland shoot. We'll be blogging and recording live from 11, but here's an idea of what to expect: these are the water tanks our model Alice will be negotiating later today.
By Studio, 14:52 Wed 26 Mar 2008
The latest addition to our Wonderland project is this short film, created from interview footage and experimentations with the soluble polymer fabrics now incorporated into Helen Storey's collection. The film gives some idea of both the staggering research and development behind this extraordinary project, and also a sneak preview of the manner in which the amazing garments will react when they finally meet their watery demise.
The 'Underwater Fireworks', as Professor Tony Ryan so aptly dubbed them, are set to explode for the last time this Friday in our Nick Knight/Helen Storey live shoot. The exact details remain under wraps, but suffice to say it will involve a rather large tank, several tonnes of water and more scientists than we're entirely used to on a SHOWstudio shoot. As for the final results, well, it's not just the model who will be holding her breath...
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