Dharia's Closet: The dark side of Fantasy

Saturday, June 29, 2013

The dark side of Fantasy

The red and the white queens

I've always been fascinated about Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Even though it is a story for children, I've always thought it has a dark side between symbols, messages between lines, and many other things hard to say, that I find somehow disturbing, and that's why I love it. Then I started making some research about dark sides of fairy tales and you would be surprised about how disturbing they can be... Hansel and Gretel, Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty and many others, and supposely, the brothers Grimm changed some endings adapting them for what were their contemporary kids, after researching in small towns all around Germany for the old versions.
Alice in Wonderland is not part of the brothers Grimm compilations (Lewis Carroll is the writter, such a character as well), but still, I think it follows the way of the olden days, where the stories were supposed to scare kids in order to teach them lessons or to prevent them in order to avoid huge mistakes (like get in a bed with a wolf).
Anyway, I created a "dark" project based on Through the Looking Glass with my dear friend, and most wonderful model Maricarmen. I am not quite at the level I want yet, but still, if you consider that the inversion for this project was around 50 USD all together, between props, set, costumes and whatever you see in the pictures, adapting many things we already had, I think is not that bad.
Also, my dear boyfriend Andrew, was the most fabulous assistant I've ever had!! These are not all the pictures, but it can give you an idea of what I've been working in.
Thank you so much, Maricarmen, I love you!
Thank you so much, hunni bunny, elsker deg!
The makeup, costumes, set, props and everything was my idea. I hope you like it.

The White Queen (me)