OUROBOROS
Collection & Film
OUROBOROS is the circle, the cycle. Complete as one form and open to unlimited connection. OUROBOROS is the debut collection by designer, costumier and stylist Izzi Valentine.
The garments in this collection are made from rubber reclaimed from the cycling industry. These are interconnected with steel jump rings, applying a classic jewellery technique at the scale of clothing. Both the methods of production and the materials are recycled and repurposed., giving each new life. This recycling brings environmental considerations into the very core of the collections’ theme of cycles and renewal, bestowing discarded material with new life as a luxury garment to be loved and cherished.
Model: Katty Velasquez
Photography: Joe Campbell, Make-up: Saskia Laroque Rothstein-Longaretti, Model: Emily
Photography: Joe Campbell, Make-up: Saskia Laroque Rothstein-Longaretti, Models: Rachel, Coral, Saskia
IMAGE DESCRIPTION Film poster title reads ‘OUROBOROS’ in blocky white capitals. There are two laurels, “Official selection 2020” for Seattle Queer Film Festival and The Bush Films. Against a smokey purple background, Camille is in profile, eyes closed, face tilting to the sky. Their hands, poised and articulate, commune with something otherworldly - they are either receiving some gift, or emanating their own energy upwards, perhaps both. They wear a studded black rubber bodice and grey foam visor, along with their own jewellery.
Ouroboros film CREDITS
FEAUTRING Suren Seneviratne, Camille Barton, Zia Álmos Joshua, D. Mortimer and Izzi Valentine
DIRECTOR, CINEMATOGRAPHY + POST-PRODUCTION Oliver David
CREATIVE DIRECTION Izzi Valentine & Sasha Wilde
PRODUCTION + CASTING + STYLING Izzi Valentine
CAMERA ASSISTANT Loui Sharman
HAIR + MAKE-UP Lydia Phillips
STILLS PHOTOGRAPHY Hubert Libiszewski
SPECIAL THANKS TO Fauve Alice
SOUNDTRACK - KERAI
OUROBOROS is the infinite cycle; stillness and flow, restriction and release, movement and balance. The garments featured in OUROBOROS are a collection by the same name, by artist and designer Izzi Valentine. The cyclical rhythms of dark-pop duo KERAI evoke a feeling of blissful spinning. The film features a cast of artists, educators, writers and musicians: Suren Seneviratne, Camille Barton, Zia Álmos Joshua, D. Mortimer and Izzi Valentine. The film is directed by Oliver David.
Stepping away from modelling norms, O is a space for queer exploration of self. The cast wear garments evocative of bondage gear, but the scenes are without the disciplining power relationships implicit, instead becoming a meditation on the interplay between tensions within the self. There is no dom/sub or top/bottom, no hierarchy. Without seeking an approving gaze, people are enjoying themselves and the sensations that these garments give them. When bound together they are mutually restricted and simultaneously connected, holding each other in perfect balance.
The garments and accessories in this collection are made from rubber reclaimed from the cycling industry. Rubber O’s are connected with steel rings in a modular design, forming a lightweight and flexible chain-maille. This recycling brings environmental considerations into the very core of the collections’ theme of cycles and renewal.