'Aphrodite: Turbulent, Cold Love' (2022)
Set Design & Props/Photography/Art Direction by Seren Ko
Aphrodite; Goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality. This project reflects a type of love that is turbulent, cold, and unwelcoming.
The project was further developed and conceptualised as an event for Melbourne Fashion Week in the form of a workshop. It would inform eventgoers about fashion sustainability and the recyclable materials used in the clothing industry that can be constructed from plastics disposed of in the ocean. It will tie this educational material to the mythological deity. In popular etymology, the name Aphrodite is interpreted as “risen from the foam”, as the Greek word aphros translates to “foam”, particularly to that of the sea.
The goddess is often identified with a mirror, a myrtle wreath, a dove, and a flower, and wears an elaborate magical girdle that holds her powers of seductive allurement and compels others to desire her (Cartwright, 2018). Other symbols that are attributed to the goddess of love are the scallop shell as well as pearls.
Aphrodite is cited in mythology texts to have been partly responsible for causing a great war. The Judgement of Paris, a story of Greek mythology, was the origin of the battle that unfolded when Aphrodite offered to give Paris, the Prince of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta, but failed to mention that Helen was the wife to King Melenaus (Roomland, 2022). Her manipulation and meddling led to one of the greatest events in Greek mythology to take place. This inspired this portion of the project to focus on how fashion can become more sustainable (reusing and recycling discarded plastics) and link this to the damage of plastics and pollution to Earth's oceans.
Collateral includes A3 posters, event banners, perfume, A4 promotional printed booklet.
