Fairytales Gone Wild: Snow White Behind Bars

one small seed — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 09:52:17 +0000

We all know the tale of Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White and Alice in Wonderland. Our childhood wouldn’t be complete without them…but just how well do we really know these fabled women?

Spanish illustrator, Marilen Adrover, is responsible for the work that portrays some of fairy tales’ most recognisable protagonists posing for their mugshots. Alice seductively showcases a tab of acid on her tongue while Red Riding Hood holds up her plaque with a battered face like something out of Fight Club. One can’t help but admire the skill with which these images were created — the great blend of colour and the depth of textures add a touch of realism while the artists use of rough lines maintain that cartoon style.

Could it be that our minds become so perverse with age that we begin to think that Snow White could have had sexual relations with the seven dwarfs? Or that Alice was most likely tripping off daddy’s acid that he left on the counter? It would appear that these so-called ‘fairytales’ might not have been so child friendly in the first place. Red Riding Hood actually eats her own grandmother or, according to The Brothers Grimm version of Snow White, the queen who poisons her is actually her mother. She gate-crashes her daughter’s wedding and then makes her dance in metal shoes that were in a fire until she died. Not that evil huh? I’d rather let my children watch Game of Thrones.

Words: Matthew Alexander
Images: Marilen Adrover

Do you think fairytales are evil? Feel free to leave a comment below or hit us up on Twitter @onesmallseedSA.

Marilen Adrover

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Nick Knight | Haute Death

one small seed — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 06:15:50 +0000

Since his first foray into fashion photography, Nick Knight has ignited the industry with his re-conceptualisation of beauty. His bold looks and daring techniques have shaped him as one of the pioneers of modern photography. Knight’s entrance into the photography world has seen him flash through the editorials of Vogue, Dazed & Confused, W Magazine, i-D, and Visionaire, and his works have been commissioned by some of design’s most extravagant names including Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, Calvin Klein, Levi Strauss, and Yves Saint Laurent. Knight photographs fashion in theatrical displays of fantasy. Haute Death is a roll of imagery that combines high fashion with the nightmarish dream-scape of dark fairytales and the opulence of Parisian sophistication.

Appearing in the pages of W Magazine, Haute Death is a whimsical homage to the shadowy, sinister illustrations of children’s literature. Using his trademark exploration into contrasts, Knight juxtaposes the delicate beauty of model Karlie Kloss into the eerie sketch of a Brothers Grimm fairytale. The result is an avante garde photo-shoot that mixes fashion and children’s fantasy. Kloss was styled by Edward Enninful into the couture designs of Dior, Givenchy, Chanel, and Iris Van Herpen to name a few. Haute Death is another example of Knight’s continuing challenge against the conventions of beauty and the re-imagining of fashion.

It is very tricky now to really, honestly call yourself a photographer because a lot of what I do doesn’t adhere to the rules of photography. For example, with the introduction of digital technology and the more frequent use of that in the creation of the image, you are really not following the rules of photography any more.

one small seed » Brothers Grimm | one small seed

Fairytales Gone Wild: Snow White Behind Bars

For more art that’ll ruin your childhood on one small seed click here

Nick Knight | Haute Death