Ophelia

This project is actually one that I did for a photography course at university. The overall topic was fusion. As soon as I heard that, I immediately knew that I wanted to work with different colors and make my model become one with her surroundings. When I came up with the final idea – using colored water as a setting – I became aware of the similarities with the story of Ophelia. In Shakespeare´s Hamlet she is a beautiful young and pure woman who is driven to committing suicide by men longing for her innocence. She drowned in a river to escape her unbearable melancholy.

The photos I took are a softer take on that. But I still tried to pick up some aspects of Ophelia´s essence. The colors are pastel shades, which are based on white, which is generally considered the purest of colors. Also, all of them can be found in nature – more specifically in flowers. The legend says that those were put in the river after Ophelia´s tragic death. The makeup fits the color scheme as well and has feminine and seductive elements to it. They are the focus point of the photographs as her body cannot be seen completely. It seemingly has disappeared and is slowly becoming one with the water. Her glance is soft, but focused, and resonates with the viewer.