LAP FASHION

Guy Bourdin: Image Maker

Somerset House

Until 15^th March - £9

Exhibitions at Somerset House always have something very special about them, being curated to the highest standards, and the Guy Bourdin exhibition is no exception. Presented in the stunning space situated off the Embankment, it is home to several highly identifiable pieces from one of the biggest fashion photographers that we have ever know, along with previously unseen works.

           

For anyone who is anyone in fashion it is hard not to see references to Guy Bourdins’ work in many advertisements, editorials and other fashion images. With work spanning over 4 decades, this exhibition is a great place to start if you are a budding fashion photographer.

It is easy to see that the photographer and surrealist Man Ray, to who Bourdin was protégé, has inspired Bourdins’ work. Images are a non-conventional, some quite fun and others taking a darker approach; one in particular wouldn’t have looked out of place as a still from The Shining. My favourite in the exhibition struck me at once; an image full of black umbrellas with brightly made up eyes of a model peering through the centre. Her eyes draw you into the image and make you feel that there is some beauty beneath the drab setting. This piece could easily inspire a thousand beauty advertisements. 

The exhibition starts with some very surreal images indeed. Bourdin has taken a shop mannequin and cut off the legs. He stages the pair of legs in several different locations with different pairs of shoes in each shot. Illusions are created in your mind to whom the person is that these legs belong to, by which location they appear in. It is such a fun and simple idea, but one that could inspire so many ideas within the fashion industry; I can imagine a Louboutin campaign with images not dissimilar to these.

Amongst the striking photographs it was also great to see how Bourdin arrived at the images that are so recognisable today. The exhibition offers you the chance to view drawings, polaroid’s and test shoots from the photographer himself; a tiny glimpse into the magical world of fashion photography, an exhibition not to miss. Hurry! Only a few weeks left on this one.