Electric Signature

A pulsing grid of fluorescent lighting replaces imprinted leather in fashion filmmaker Bart Hess’s new short for Italian luxury leather label Tod’s. Taking the brand’s iconic circles-and-diamonds pattern as inspiration, the maverick Dutch director created a futuristic neon cityscape to explore the interplay of light on material. “I wanted to see the pattern reflected in all kinds of materials, because it can tell you a lot about surface and quality,” explains Hess. Shooting in Eindhoven’s cutting-edge Temporary Arts Centre, Hess crafted an installation of 81 light tubes to illuminate the exclusive next-season pieces by the cult leather maker. “In the film we show the light cycle of a day, from sunrise to sunset. At the moment when the girl decides to go to the pool a blackout takes place,” he elaborates. “When the lights turn back on there has been an upgrade and now everything is in multicolor. The city comes alive.” Best known for the otherworldly slime outfits he created for Lady Gaga, Hess has made sculptural costumes for the likes of American Vogue and AnOther Magazine, Parisian art center Palais de Tokyo, and photographer Nick Knight, as well as collaborating on textiles with fashion designers such as Walter Van Beirendonck, Iris van Herpen, and Ann-Sofie Back.

STATS FROM ON SET 

Location
Temporary Art Centre in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

Shoot duration
Two days.

Cast
Seventeen people: director, model, cinematographer, four people for hair and makeup, two people for styling, and eight set assistants.

Pool water temperature
Approximately 68°F.

Time spent in water by model
Twenty minutes.

Number of plugs that overheated
Five.

Number of mirrors on set
Eighteen.

Total area of mirror surface
581.3 square feet.

Number of light tubes used
Eighty-one.

Length of each tube
23.6 inches.

Total length of light tubes
159.3 feet.

Total length of electricity cable on set
656.2 feet.

Electricity bill
Yet to be charged...

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