Dorothy (Barrel Series), 2003
Emily Haines might say "Death is absolutely safe. A billion bibles mark the last page," but Melanie Pullen proves it to be something even more alluring. Here SUPERSWEET talks to the woman behind 'High Fashion Crime Scenes' about what else apart from the art of death.
SS: Where do you think you work falls into, art or fashion? Did you initially want this project to be an arty one or more fashion?
Melanie Pullen: Art, as that's my intention. I only work on my art series and I love the freedom that this allows. You can really stay true to your vision which is very difficult if you're doing work commercially. As when I have done that in the past it really opens the door to so many viewpoints and in the end the ideas become a little bit watered down. As an artist you have to pull a lot of strings to make things work - it's kind of magical the way things piece together. And in the end there's an amazing satisfaction in the integrity of the images. I love being able to image something and bringing it to fruition.
Stairs, 2004
SS: Did you expect it to be quite an ongoing project like this? You’re still doing exhibitions on this. Are you planning to expand on this even further?
Melanie: I'm currently showing High Fashion Crime Scenes at many galleries internationally. I have a show coming up in Milan in Sept . In 2008 I will do the final images for High Fashion Crime Scenes which will debut in Paris.
SS: Would you consider branching out into something else like perhaps a silent film?
Melanie: I may at some point work with film as I really love it. I've gotten a lot of interesting offers as I live in Los Angeles currently - but right now I have so many plans with my photography and art projects. I really love what I'm doing! In LA, people think film is the end all but I love still images and creating a narrative within that wall. There are only a handful of photographers currently working on this cinematic scale and in this realm of the narrative so in a way it's interesting because you always feel like you're breaking new ground in some regard. In a sense, I'm making movies in a single image - there's a beginning, middle and end all in one frame.
Phones, 2005
SS: Each time before you start shooting one picture, do you really imagine up a whole story leading to her death? Or you just do the shoot and leave the rest to interpretation?
Melanie: I always work with the reference material - the original crime scenes that I'm recreating. Those images are normally pretty intense and I've chosen them because they force me to ask so many questions about what happened - they always evoke an emotional response and I want to explore the concept. I believe there needs to be questions and an interaction from the viewer (including myself) to create a good piece of work. I also hold true to that concept when searching for reference materiel. I'm always asking questions and trying to fill in the gaps. I have been most captivated by the images where you don't really see what happened - the evidence shots like the close up images of hands and feet as it just opens up my imagination - I find those very provoking - a few in particular have really stuck with me and I'm still asking questions.
SS: With some pictures, they’re tragic, but some there seem to be a lot of humorous elements hidden that make you smile, it’s like watching Alice in Wonderland gone darkly mischievous. What are other moods that you want to convey to the audience behind these characters.
Melanie: I tried to create a journey with the work. You notice everything but the crime scene. I'm making fun of the way violence and tragedy are portrayed by the media these days and how over the top it's become. My characters are very innocent and somewhat timeless. I generally play with colour, models, locations and these amazing cloths to really distract the viewer. I always hope that the final result is you leave my one of my exhibitions and wonder why you forgot to look at the crime scene right in front of you.
SS: You were inspired to do this from (Luc Sante's book) 'Evidence' and old crime scene photos, but do you also have any muses?
Melanie: I love movies! I could name a hundred great movies but I will save you the list. So all of the wonderful directors, cinematographers, actresses and actors are my muses.
Choo (Hanging Series), 2004
SS: Can you see yourself maybe in the future doing something similar with what Warhol did with Pop Art? Can you see yourself perhaps taking pictures of the glamorous/ famous people who might be queuing up for you to kill them in your story? Would this aspect of work be at all interesting to you?
Melanie: I did a mini series with Juliette Lewis a while back as a Femme Fatal. It was really fun and a sort of over-the top version of High Fashion Crime Scenes. She was really great to work with and it brought a very cinematic layer to the series.
Overall, though I try to shy away from celebrity photography as so many photographers become known very quickly for their images of actors and iconic figures. It's much more difficult as a photographer to gain recognition from your work alone but if you can I believe that's a worthy accomplishment. Despite my main focus, I do love working with people I greatly admire and have shot some very interesting people like Juliette and Beck etc…
SS: What else are you interested in, besides this? Are you currently doing any other projects?
Melanie: I'm currently working on my new series. I don't want to say too much but it's going to be a very epic series that I've been working on for several years. The production value is really amazing - it's bigger than a lot of movies - But it's really happening. And I get chills every time I finish a new image . It's so exciting. It's due to open at Ace Gallery at the end of this year! I will keep you posted. There will also be a book published of the new work in early 2008.
Photography: (C) Melanie Pullen