Barnaby Roper: Pauline

To mark our one-year anniversary, NOWNESS premieres an haute visual symphony from Barnaby Roper and asks you to play conductor. Having previously spliced and spun model Iris Strubegger in the name of art, the digital maestro pushes the boundaries of technology once again with today’s film Pauline, inviting the viewer to click on the plus or minus buttons to build an audio-visual tableau. Images of model Pauline van der Cruysse multiply across the screen at the user’s whim; with each one, another musical component is introduced. Clad in an asymmetrical leather Rick Owens top, Van der Cruysse’s robotic blinks cue the rippling entrance of piano, while her whirling turns in a Roberto Cavalli dress trigger rumbling percussion. Stylist Sarah Ellison sourced the palette of romantic gothic looks, while composer Adam Crystal provided the crescendo-building soundtrack in response to Roper’s brief, which named Mozart’s Requiem as a reference point. “I wanted it to be a finale—that was the degree of drama I was looking for,” Roper says.

To see Facehunter's photos of the Italian bash to mark Corto Moltedo's palatial new Milan boutique opening, click here.