IN PICTURES: BEHIND THE SCENES OF A TECHNO PARTY PROMO SHOOT
The glamour of capturing pregnancy in an artistic light has long held my imagination. Due to my mother's business, she owned a rental company of a gear for newborns, I had always been on orbit of pregnancy and materinity. My first job, while still in school, was assisting a family photographer, my mom´s friend, who specialised in shoots with pregnant mothers. Witnessing countless sessions, my mind swirled with visions of unconventional shots. This was the genesis of the idea, but time for it had not came till last year.
After fleeing Ukraine, I settled in Berlin and on the first night out I met Ben and Mark. Techno enthusiasts as they are and besides their various projects, The founders of Pru.y.rvu, Berlin’s fruitful techno party. As Ben guided us through Berlin's techno scene's hidden gems our creative visions lined up. With newfound energy, Ben whisked me away to his studio, where our collaboration began to take shape. In a spontaneous moment, I shared my unconventional vision of capturing pregnancy through photography. His enthusiastic response sparked a fusion of ideas - techno and pregnancy, in an unexpected harmony. We were at his office at the moment, when Ben stood up and exit the door. In a moment he came back for me with a smile on his face and rushed me to follow him. So I did. I followed him to the next door and we entered a dancing class. One of the girls who was training there, was already waiting for me, she was standing and smiling to us while we were approaching. We stoped next to her and Ben said in a solemn voice: “Meet Lena, our model”. I looked at Ben totally confused and he nodded in direction of her belly, I looked down and after staring for a while realised she was in between 8th and 9th months of pregnancy.
After fleeing Ukraine, I settled in Berlin and on the first night out I met Ben and Mark. Techno enthusiasts as they are and besides their various projects, The founders of Pru.y.rvu, Berlin’s fruitful techno party. As Ben guided us through Berlin's techno scene's hidden gems our creative visions lined up. With newfound energy, Ben whisked me away to his studio, where our collaboration began to take shape. In a spontaneous moment, I shared my unconventional vision of capturing pregnancy through photography. His enthusiastic response sparked a fusion of ideas - techno and pregnancy, in an unexpected harmony. We were at his office at the moment, when Ben stood up and exit the door. In a moment he came back for me with a smile on his face and rushed me to follow him. So I did. I followed him to the next door and we entered a dancing class. One of the girls who was training there, was already waiting for me, she was standing and smiling to us while we were approaching. We stoped next to her and Ben said in a solemn voice: “Meet Lena, our model”. I looked at Ben totally confused and he nodded in direction of her belly, I looked down and after staring for a while realised she was in between 8th and 9th months of pregnancy.
In that moment, we found our muse.
Lena was amazing, and her effort was invaluable. She was supposed to give birth very soon, only 2 weeks after the scheduled shooting day, which had us on edge. But despite her condition, she agreed to do everything needed for the creative vision and eventually spent almost 4 hours in cold water, but we'll get to that later. Also, we had no idea how to create a floor filled with water. That was when the real fun began.
We began pre-production a week before the shooting day. Running across the city in search of materials for the set, brainstorming solutions for the water shoot, conducting light tests, building the set, doing fittings, and managing project communication altogether took around 30-40 hours.
It's interesting how the team expanded. Dayana, the project stylist, stumbled upon the mood board almost by chance. The day before the shoot, with a call time set for 8 am, I found myself without a makeup artist. Frantically reaching out to everyone I knew, I contacted Diana. Though we knew each other slightly, I had followed her on Instagram for quite a while and really liked her style. Asking for a makeup artist recommendation, she surprised me by expressing interest in collaborating as a stylist herself.
I was amazed because I had been struggling to find a stylist, and her offer was so on point. I sent her the mood board; Dayana resonated with the vision and joined the team. She also brought along her friend, Didi, the makeup artist, and Genevieve, the creator of gorgeous jewelry that adorned the breast, adding a remarkable accent to the entire shoot. Everything fell into place so harmoniously.
On the day of the shoot, it felt like everything that could go wrong did. Just thinking about how we were filling the pool for 6 hours makes me giggle. I'm reminded of how we tried to heat the water with simple kitchen boilers without any feasible success. Lena, our fearless model, braved the chilly waters multiple times, taking breaks only to warm up outside. Despite the discomfort, she remained committed to realizing the creative vision, spending several hours in the water. Dayana and Didi waded into the pool time and time again to perfect the makeup and hair for each shot. And towels and everything around the pool turned into soggy messes. But amidst the mayhem, the scene came together, fueled by determination and a touch of chaos.
I am immensely grateful for everyone who dedicated their time and talent to this project. To Ben who believed and supported that vision. With special thanks to Mark, Mary, Amit and Dima. It was incredible to witness.
Photography and art direction by Kate Lutaya, styling by Dayana Arrieta, makeup & hair by Didi, fashion by Genevieve The Label, assisted by Dmitriy S and Amit Levy, production by SourceBerlin.
Special thanks to Mark Schloms and Mary Stephan.
For PRU Y RVU, Berlin 2023
