Signe Veiteberg & Saskia Kane in “LA DONNA FANTASMA” by Robi Rodriguez for Holiday Magazine S/S 2020

Signe Veiteberg & Saskia Kane in The Phantom Lady “LA DONNA FANTASMA” by Robi Rodriguez for Holiday Magazine, S/S 2020. Art is unveiled. Our senses elevate. Truth transpires. A transformation takes shape. A metamorphosis is in order. This is an uprising of spirit. A celebration of self. Here we are versed in the many spectacles of change. This philosophy of the mind is perception personified. That which allows us to think allows us to feel. The Bends of Her Body Break Against the Backdrop, Allowing Her Mind to Travel Over the Mental Tightrope as the Onerous Outpouring Creates Confusion. The Characteristic Spirit of a Culture is Manifested in the Ethos of Time. The Phantom Lady Fuses With Life… Crying but Worthy… Her Strength Lives On.

This story suspends disbelief. Katie Burnett catapults us outside normal parameters of style, proving that true beauty is as much about the tactile element as it is the visual component. A handbag is worn as a hat while wooden glasses are shown on the back. Up is down and turned around, understanding real balance if found earthbound. Viewing life through a different lens ensures that realness stays, and we don’t just fade away. Everything takes on a new perspective. We adjust. We explore. Ever seeking more. We make. We create. We Study We Endure. We are a thinking animal. That concept could be utilized during our current state of shutdown. Communication is the backbone of society. The structure of which we depend on. This story asks that we go deeper. That we suspend disbelief. That we view in a new way.

Daniel Sallstrom utilizes this approach by applying makeup that appears as if it melts into the skin. It’s not a naked makeup, rather, it’s organically obtained. Extreme eye lines careen, inviting us to see the cosmetics as part of a dream. Sitting on a stool Saskia turns to the camera. A graphic scarf covers a large brimmed hat and part of her face and ears, tying at the chin’s base. Giving the illusion that part of the scarf has settled into the skin. Burnett allows fabric to fall face front, envelope the eyes, where she then places a pair of white sunglasses over the top. This avant-garde application invites an artistic approach. Kei Terada accepts the challenge by bringing back the 40’s Victory Rolls. These are not for the feint of heart, they are large and in charge, creating a kind of voluminous spectacle. Much of these images gives rise to the idea of breaking the norm. Sitting precariously at the base of the neck where hair-rolls naturally end. White glasses are worn backwards, as the trim of her top falls like a smile from shoulder to shoulder. Tricking the eye, this gives the illusion of a smiling face from behind. This story doesn’t play to our obvious nature, instead it simmers in a more stylistic place.

A mutation takes shape from a Supernatural state. Refusing to conform to the norm, each shape shifts into a completely different form. Open your mind and allow this tranformation to take shape. Don’t be stifled by what you see, let yourself be free. Change invites us to view from a new perspective. This can take on a Supernatural component, by which I mean a manifestation of spirit. A theory or abstract idea can embody an event, action, or object. Many of these images have the eyes covered, indicating a deeper way to see. Sentient pleasures of humanity are amongst the most significant. The pedantic pondering of the prosaic mind. Don’t stop to offer or wait to unwind, what’s done is done… to rewind is unkind. Enlighten me from the depths of the soul. Reaching the top, battered, but whole. Awakened in the Middle of Night… Moving the Mind Clearing the Fright… Tears will Fall til’ the Dawn of Sight as My Eyes Do See the Coming of Light.