THE (UN)HOLY TRINITY will be a digital installation consisting of three films.  The films will draw inspiration from key female characters taken directly from the Bible - or who were inspired by the inconsistencies within said book - who through their supposedly unnatural acts of defiance, aggression, or simple desire for autonomy, have been demonised throughout history to serve as a warning as to how disruptive and destructive female sexuality can be if left unchecked.

The films will not only seek to explore these women in their moment of defiance but, more importantly, to challenge these demonised perceptions of the so-called ‘unnatural’ woman - that have been used to caution women as to the dangers such desires and/or actions.  

Working in collaboration with Sedition, an online platform that exhibits and sells digital artwork, the films will be exhibited for one week a large scale multi-channel film installation.  The show will open on the  7th March 2020 in Central London to celebrate International Woman’s Day.

WHY IS THIS PROJECT IMPORTANT?



I have always been fascinated by each of these stories (originally told by men) which show a woman who strives for their own sense of autonomy, but are ultimately punished for their supposedly 'monstrous' or 'masculine' natures, or behaviour that is considered 'unacceptable' for a woman.  Such cautionary tales of the 'unnatural woman' told by men have been used throughout history in order to justify holding women back - no matter their race, creed, or sexuality - and women today are still often inherently judged by these unfair and contradictory standards.



Even though movements such as #MeToo and #Times Up have helped to shine a light on these unfair standards, we still have a long way to go in order to reach the same standard of rights and opportunities.  By exploring these cautionary tales, which still reflect how women are perceived and/or judged today, I aim to not only highlight the inherent hypocrisy but to challenge these dangerous and outdated attitudes.



 

CONTEXT

CONCEPT ART: LILITH



LILITH, according to Jewish lore, was the first wife of Adam.  Although not mentioned directly in the Bible, Lilith has been used to explain the two contradictory versions of Creation in the book of Genesis.  Lilith, like Adam, was created from the earth, making them equal to one another.  When Lilith refused to lie beneath Adam, asserting her equality, Adam insisted that she should perform her wifely duties.  On refusing to submit to Adam, Lilith incurred the wrath of Adam and God and fled to the Red Sea where she was cast from paradise forever and became the succubus (a temptress of innocent men), the breeder of evil spirits, and a child-murdering monster of the night.  Her defiance of the masculine order forced her to become the ultimate symbol of all that is demonised within the traditional patriarchal society: chaos, seduction, and ungodliness.
 

CONCEPT ART: EVE



EVE was Adam’s more prominent (second) wife.  Unlike Lilith, she was not made as an equal to Adam.  Instead she was crafted from one of Adam’s ribs, and so does not exist in her own right.  She merely exists to serve Adam as his 'helpmeet'.  And yet she is the one to bring about the ‘fall of man’ by eating from the ‘Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil’.  While both Adam and Eve defy God’s will, and are both cast form paradise; it is Eve who bares the ultimate responsibility, as she is given the more severe punishment by God, who declared that he would multiply her pain in childbearing, and although her desire will be contrary to her husbands, Adam shall rule over her.  By implicitly laying the blame with Eve, the parable reinforces the traditional patriarchal belief that a good woman should obey her husband at all times.

CONCEPT ART: SALOME



SALOME is associated with the Princess of Judea in the New Testament.  The Gospel accounts reveal very little about the girl who brought about the death of John the Baptist - she was given neither name nor motive.  She was merely a pawn through which her mother was able to enact revenge against the prophet who had preached that her marriage to King Herod II - her first husband’s murderer and brother - was unlawful in the eyes of God; but was later given the motive of a spurned lover.  In her desperation to possess the prophet, Salome plays upon the King’s 'male gaze' (one that she inturn emulates to objectify the prophet) and demanded his head in retribution for her dance.  Once she received it, she kissed his bloody lips in one more attempt to possess him, revealing her inherently aggressive, dominant, and violent nature.  Salome’s display of these supposedly 'masculine' tendencies were so abhorrent, that she was ultimately punished for her ‘monstrous’ nature.  On the other hand, her uncle - who killed his own brother, married his brother’s wife, and covets his own niece/step-daughter - goes unpunished.  Salome’s violent nature was not only used to caution us against the destructive power of female seduction, but to also serve as a warning of the dangers of such 'unwomanly' desires.



 

PROOF OF CONCEPT

To prove that we can put our money where our mouth is, we shot a series of test sequences earlier this year using Panavision's Phantom Flex 4K camera.



 

PRODUCTION



The three films will be filmed using Panavision's Phantom Flex 4K (digital high speed) camera.  Each film will be a single, portraiture (head and shoulders) shot of each of the three women.  Working with a talented crew with over 50 years collectively of experience working in the film industry, we will create the sense of a moving painting - evocative of the romanticism of the Pre-Raphaelite and Symbolism art movements - bought to life.  At first it will appear as though the women are locked within the frame of the camera’s and thus the audiences gaze, but rather than wilt within this dominant frame, they will come alive and reveal their true innate strength and defiance as they each challenge the audiences watching them.  



 

EXHIBITION



The exhibition will open on 7th March 2020 in central London to celebrate International Women's Day with a preview party and will run for 7 days.  The films will also be released on Sedition's online digital gallery platform the same day.

The films will be exhibited as a large scale multi-channel film installation.  Each of the films will be projected within one large, dark, square room as three individual floor to ceiling projections.  The women's moving portraits will be larger than life, dominating the space in which they co-exist.  They will stare directly into the camera, thereby confronting and challenging the audiences gaze; not only acknowledging their gaze, but in doing so daring the audience to defy them.



 

CAST

FLORENCE EUGENE - LILITH



FLORENCE EUGENE was born and raised in the South of France to French and Vietnamese parents.  After completing her studies, she was approached by the founder of Next Models in Canada, where she secured a role with Ford Models in Paris and worked for international fashion houses such as Armani, Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent and also international brands such as Lexus, Peugeot, Shu Uemura, Helena Rubinstein, and L'Oréal -  appearing regularly in Harpers Bazar, Vanity Fair, Elle, Vogue and L’Offciel.



She then moved to Ford Models in New York, where she shot for prestigious clients such as Oil of Olay, Macy’s, and Clairol.  While in New York, she also collaborated with famed Photographers and Directors such as Luca Babini, Steve Hiett, Ricardo Tinelli, Jonas Akerlund, Christelle Raynal, Philippe Salomon, David Bellemere and Carole Denis. 



Since 2014, Florence has been working within the film industry, where she was cast in the Yves Saint Laurent bio feature directed by Jalil Lespert, which inspired her to follow her new found passion for acting.  Her unique features has enabled her to reach and represent various markets such as Asia, Europe, and the USA.  Florence’s green eyes and Asian touch captivated Dyson Beauty, making her their worldwide brand ambassador.

EVE & SALOME



We are currently finalising the casting of Eve and Salome, so check back with us for future updates

 



COLLABORATORS

LAURA JEAN HEALEY - ARTIST, FILMMAKER & PRODUCER



LAURA JEAN HEALEY is an award winning Artist and Filmmaker.  Having received a First Class BA Honours from Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, where she specialised in 16mm film and installation, Laura has continued to inform her artistic practice by working within the film industry as a camera technician, where she was mentored by the BSC Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey and works closely with both the Camera and VFX departments on high profile projects.



Inspired by her extensive experience and technical understanding, Laura uses digital film technologies to explore the nature of the cinematic experience.  In particular, her work examines the role and objectification of the female form within the screen, the inherent paradoxical nature of cinema exhibition, and the desire it raises within the spellbound spectator.  Laura produced the very first underwater, slow motion, holographic film installation, The Siren.  The film was awarded the Passion for Freedom Gold Film Award, for it’s artist value and powerful visual message embodying the freedom of women’.



www.laurajeanhealey.co.uk
 

RORY BLAIN - DIRECTOR OF SEDITION



RORY BLAIN is the director of Sedition. He has over 15 years experience as an art dealer working alongside his brother Harry Blain, the founder of Blains Fine Art, Haunch of Venison and Blain|Southern.



Blain has lived and worked throughout Europe from 2005-2009 including Paris and Zurich where he ran the Haunch of Venison gallery, prior to joining Sedition at the start of 2013. He has always worked in the arts having previously pursued a career in dance before entering the gallery world. Blain’s wide experience in the art market has informed his current role in developing the concept of art collecting in the digital age at Sedition.



www.seditionart.com/rory_blain
 

SEDITION



SEDITION is the world’s leading online platform for artists to display and sell their art in digital format for connected screens and devices. The company was founded by Harry Blain, the owner of Blain|Southern. The mission of Sedition is to change the art world by introducing a marketplace for collecting and trading art in the digital age. 

Art on Sedition is presented as limited digital editions that exist in the digital realm. Any purchased artworks can be experienced seamlessly across all of your devices including TVs, smartphones, tablets and computers. Works are either streamed online, or offline using our free apps for iPad, iPhone, Android, Samsung Smart TV and Apple TV devices. 



www.sedition.art.com
 

WHERE YOUR MONEY WILL GO?



We have already secured 35% of our budget through the South East Creative Cultural and Digital Support programme and have several contributors, such as Panavision, Panalux and Direct Digital, willing to supply the camera, lighting equipment and studio for free, but we still need to raise at least £4,500 in order to be able to realise the project.



The money raised by this campaign will help to pay for the cast and crew, set design and props, costume, catering, post production (including the editing, colour-grading and final conform for the films) as well as the soundscape required in order to complete the three films to a beautiful and highly stylised cinematic standard.

By helping to fund The (Un)Holy Trinity, you will be part of creating a unique art film installation that seeks to not only explore these women in their moment of defiance, but to more importantly, challenge the demonised perceptions of these so-called 'unnatural' women and to question how these harmful attitudes still can and do inhibit women today

RISKS & CHALLENGES



Producing any film, especially a film series, is no easy feat!  And any Filmmaker embarking on a new film project will be faced with many challenges, some clear from the outset and many unforeseen - that will seem to pop up at the most inopportune moment - no matter the project.



We as a team, however, are a group of award winning and innovative Artists, Curators and Filmmakers, who have a vast amount of experience working in the Art and/or Film industries.  There are always going to be challenges, but the most important thing is the fact that we all believe in this project and are excited by the potential challenges that we will face.



The (Un)Holy Trinity is pretty much ready to go.  All of the key details - such as camera and lighting equipment, studio, insurance, costumes, set design, cast and crew - have already been addressed. 



All we need now is your support to realise this dream and to make this project possible!

 



YOU



If you are unable to help financially then fear not, as there are many other ways in which you can help us to realise The (Un)Holy Trinity! 



Any attention that you can help bring to the project, be it following us on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter; liking sharing or re-tweeting our posts; sharing the project on social media, or via email, or simple word of mouth, will be invaluable to us!  The more people who see what we are doing and why this is so important, the better.



Thank you for your kind support!!!