SYNOPSIS
“He sleeps in the sun, hand on the breast, peacefully. He has two red holes on his right side.” Arthur Rimbaud. I have always been fascinated by “Le Dormeur Du Val,” a poem by Arthur Rimbaud. It is for me, a beautiful allegory of Death where the deceased seems to be composedly asleep.
Throughout my project, I want to capture this image created by A. Rimbaud, by representing the remains of a battlefield embraced by nature; showing how time and environment transform and take control of the corpses. I aim to create an Autumn/Winter couture collection that uses extravagant textiles, shapes and designs to represent diverse death/stages of decomposition types.
I seek to turn this idea of a “horror” scene into something poetic, and magical and create the illusion that the soldiers are sleeping. Indeed, the intention is to make beautiful what could seem unpleasant to the eye and highlight the concept of “Life after death” from a scientistic aspect: death creates life by providing food for animals, soil for plants or a moist and warm environment for eggs.
My ambition is that my collection can be viewed as a Vanity/Vanitas, a metaphor for time passing by and the fragility of life, Memento Mori, and a celebration of the “afterlife” meaning the wildlife (fauna and flora) created by the remains. Opening a discussion on the taboo of Death and helping ease off fears surrounding the subject.
