“Mental health remains a taboo subject for many,” explains photographer Rolf A. Jensen. A way of bringing those hidden grievances suffered silently by many to light, Jensen’s latest shoot visualizes the experience of compulsive disorders – in a fashion setting. The end result is a series of images you cannot shy away from. Illustrations by Aldous Massie infiltrate the shots more so than decorate them, like hallucinatory visions that creep their way into a troubled mind. Model Carina Velva acts out the experiences of claustrophobia, anger, paranoia, schizophrenia.
Dark and visually striking it may be, but it’s a case of using fashion and beauty not just for aesthetic value but as a tool for drawing attention to a deeper cause. “The goal is to focus on the suffering that people hide inside,” says Jensen, and to encourage “the necessary help, support, understanding that is needed.”
Brilliantly put together in a small space that makes the viewer relate to those claustrophobic feelings, Jensen’s shoot is something truly unique. You can view it all at the gallery above.
For more about Rolf A. Jensen head to deceivedreality.com.
Claustrophobic Fashion: behind the scenes (9 Feb 2012)
