Keeping
my reputation up of leaving things to the last minute once again, I finally got
round to seeing ‘Tim Walker: Story Teller’ before Somerset House closed its
doors on the recent exhibition. For those who were luckily enough to see the
enchanting images of the fashion photographer, Tim Walker, you will understand
how mesmerizing and inspiring this exhibition was. And to my surprise, it wasn’t
just a selection of his work that was up on offering but as well as the
elaborate props used in his photography such as the swan boat featured in ‘An
Immaculate Tale’ for Casa Vogue October 2010 or the chilling 15ft doll that
chased Lindsey Wixon in ‘Like a Doll’ for Vogue Italia January 2012. Yet it
wasn’t just that; mixed with sketches, scribbles and quotations, Tim Walker
gave you a small glimpse of what it is like to be inside his mind. A dreamy,
enchanting fairy-tale state of mind that inspires.
I remember my fifteen year
old self with a brain that only wanted to absorb anything to do with fashion,
finally plucked up the courage to ask my mum to buy me my first issue of the so-called
“fashion bible”; Vogue. Before I was to shamefully embarrassed to ever ask as I
walked past the magazine aisle, taking down Vogue from the top shelf and
quickly flicking through it. But the 2009 March issue of Vogue was different;
there was something about Lily Donaldson sitting gracefully on the cover but
with piercing eyes as if she was luring me in to tell me to buy it. It was then
when I first met the beautiful work of Tim Walker. Although there was two
editorials for my young eyes to feast on by Walker, it was however his ‘Snow
Queen’ that truly marked a defining moment for myself. I was mesmerized by each
image featured in the editorial that I had to (which I never like doing) carefully rip each image out to have it stuck
on my bedroom wall. Although not one of
his most popular editorials, there was something particular in these images
that sparked my already growing love for the fashion industry into something
much more meaningful. “Enchanting, ethereal, playful and bold… Enter a world of
pure fantasy, where a fairytale princess – the embodiment of ancient mythology’s
Three Graces – vies for attention with magical swans…” was the tagline for the
editorial and it was a world that I wanted to enter and never to leave. Words
can’t really explain what it was and why it was this editorial that led me onto
the path to the fashion industry but I do know that it is an editorial that
will always stick in my mind as well as have a place in my heart. A friend that
accompanied me on my visit to the exhibition said that it is a great honour and
privilege to see Walker’s work from photographs to sketches to props all in one
room. I couldn't have agreed more.
