For almost five years, English photographer Kirsty Mitchell has been creating one stunning image after another for her enchanting Wonderland series. The project, which is entirely self-funded and inspired by the memory of the photographer's late mother, is nearing its finale. With sixty-nine pictures in the collection, Mitchell has just recently released two more spectacular portraits to continue her “storybook without words.”
The latest pieces in the collection are Gaia, The Birth Of An End and She'll Wait For You In The Shadows Of Summer. The first of the two, an imaginative interpretation of Gaia (the personified Goddess of Earth), is a meticulously crafted display of a woman draped in gold. Each intricate adornment from the elaborate headdress and giant beaded jewelry to the makeup is a carefully choreographed symphony by Mitchell herself.
The second image, a far more personal one for Mitchell, touches on the subject of saying “goodbye.” She says, “It is a strange and haunting melody of release, one that was necessary for myself and the story, so I guess it is only fitting that it became one of the most difficult shoots and edits I have ever produced.”
The diligent photographer tells us, “Two weeks ago I finally returned to the internet after being away for 9 months creating and shooting the final 10 closing scenes of Wonderland. Wonderland will have a proper ending to the story, so the fans and myself will have a satisfying sense of closure to the project. These last few months have been very demanding, as some of the pictures are the biggest productions I have ever created, has basically been like making a movie in a series of still images.”
Over the course of her nine-month hiatus from the internet, Mitchell has spent her time planning, designing, sewing, and shooting the final images for her innovative series, each step of the productive photographer's process documented by filmmaker Richard Wakefield of FX Media. The behind-the-scenes videos, each running about five minutes long, record just how time-consuming and creatively laborious each of her final shoots has been.
Ultimately, Mitchell tells us, “We are also working on a full length documentary about the whole project which will be released online at the very close of the series. I aim to release all the pictures and films by March next year.”
Top photo: Gaia, The Birth Of An End
detail shots
close ups
She'll Wait For You In The Shadows Of Summer
detail shots
close ups
Behind the Scenes
Kirsty Mitchell website
All images courtesy of Kirsty Mitchell
