WILD PROJECT

The project will take place during the gala reception at DCTV

VAEFF 2015 is presenting a program entitled “Beauty, Sex, and Shame” that examines the intersections of beauty, shame, and sexual representation as expressed through art, fashion, and music videos. The highlight of this program is the WILD project, a photo shoot that will take place at the festival’s closing Gala event at DCTV. For this project, VAEFF aims to revisit old photographs from 1840 to 1920 that represent the controversial and dynamic beginnings of photography to provide a reinterpretation, translation, and recreation of them from the perspective of the digital age and through the eyes of a contemporary photographer.

In 1835, photography emerged as a new medium that could encapsulate the “undraped feminine form”. However, it was limited to artists’ studies, as the moral climate of the 19th century prohibited outward displays of nudity. Artists managed to work around these limitations, using burlesque dancers as models for their nude/semi-nude works. These women were local and unknown, their glamor rooted in their mysterious natures.

VAEFF 2015 will have an open call for models. The photo shoot will be live during the Gala event as the directors and models become a fluid piece of the atmosphere. The models will be a re-creation of old photographs from 1840 to 1920 that represent the controversial and dynamic beginnings of photography and the female form.

If interested in participating in the shoot, please fill out the submission form.