“The Pirelli calendar was, at the bottom roots, a pinup calendar for mechanics when they changed tires. They held onto the sexy thing for a long period of time, and when it came time for me to do it, (it) seemed wrong to take models to the beach to take their tops off. It seemed out of time with the #MeToo movement.” These are the words chosen by award-winning Scottish photographer Albert Watson to illustrate the terrain on which the idea of ‘Dreaming’ sprout and developed.
For the 46th edition of the iconic calendar – which was released yesterday, December 5th -, Watson, who is known for his cinematic gaze, created a series of 40 vivid prints centering on the dreams and aspirations of four ambitious and talented women. “What I wanted to convey were the characters’ hopes and their way of thinking about the future, in a way that would bring with it the aspect of dreaming,” he said. In fact, each ‘little movie’, shows the characters at significant crossroads in their lives.
The protagonists of the four stories are actress Julia Garner as ‘the botanical photographer’, Astrid Eika as ‘the model’, actress and model Laetitia Casta as ‘the painter’, principal dancer at the American Ballet Theater, Misty Copeland as ‘the dancer’, and model Gigi Hadid as ‘the wealthy socialite’. Men appear in supporting roles.
Copeland highlighted that it is not sufficient to show women as strong, empowered characters; it is essential to present diverse, multi-dimensional portrayals, capturing a spectrum of experiences. The dancer said: “To have women that people can relate to, we have to have representation, especially for the youth to be able to dream, for the future to be limitless.” Also because, as Watson explained: “Dreams can be hard work.”
Ilona Catani Scarlett