MACHAS

Inner States: Leonardoworx’s new video for Elena Ghisellini

The best relationships are built on trust, and this could not be truer of the collaboration between Leonardoworx and Elena Ghisellini. The luxury fashion accessories designer was so impressed by their first project together that not only did she ask Leo for a second instalment but she also gave him complete creative freedom. ‘We are a super-combo!’ exclaims Leo. ‘It’s amazing how our taste and creative process are so similar’.

‘Everything started when Elena called me because she needed a new animation to embody the collection’, Leo recalls. ‘I wanted to create a visual journey, a story about the Ghisellini woman and her personality, all set against epic abstract landscapes inspired by Elena bags’ elements’.

So what do the multimedia artist and the leading Florentine fashion genius have in common? ‘For a start, we both love geometrics. We use the same basic three angles, and our work stems from there. It’s a very organic approach’ explains Leo. ‘these geometric foundations provide the initial spark and our creativity, which is quite fluid, ensure that every piece is completely different’.  Elena’s train of inspiration leads to intriguing symbols such as her signature feline faces, but it is mostly the Ghisellini woman that holds the same qualities intrinsic to Leo’s work. ‘Elena designs for women that are strong, focused and yet still passionate about living life to its fullest’ Leo reveals. ‘It is a woman that can walk through flames, fly above clouds — she can do anything she sets her mind on! And that is the connection between Elena’s and my work: both are strong, both have something to say and have deep emotional inner states’. To realise Elena’s brief, Leo channelled his own interpretive prowess. ‘In my opinion, the goal was to express the naturally unlimited force of this woman through an unforgettable audio-visual experience’.

Despite the pair’s similarity, the project wasn’t without a challenge. ‘Elena came to me nine days before the event launch she needed the film for. She showed me the mood paper and said she would like to see the video only when finished’. With complete free creative reign yet intense time limits, Leo had to act fast. ‘I think I slept only a few hours during those days,’ laughs Leo. Multitasking became key to the project’s success. ‘When I had an animation scene ready, I launched the render so I could work on the music’.

Leo imaginatively translated Elena’s concept with great speed. ‘Although we come from different fields, our similar creative approach and taste really helped to secure the success of the project. I explored the idea of Inferno and Heaven and told the story of how these elements combine. The figure in my tale travels in an abstract landscape, she oscillates between dark and angelic places, informed by the enigmatic states of the environment she visits’.

Guests at the press launch were treated to a captivating immersion into Elena’s conceptual space. ‘There was the perfect balance between the location, the bags and my video projected on four different walls. We all had a good time, and the event pulled in a really cool, interesting crowd’.  Did Leo have a favourite scene? ‘Definitely the last one, when the white sphere disintegrates in a circular movement revealing a crystal sphere inside. It’s so powerful, clean and completely represents the video in an abstract way. It gives a sense of something returning but yet different each time. The journey is never ending’.

See more of Leonardoworx here.