Dancing Gowns - Interview with Photo Artist Meg Cowell
When we came across Meg’s bespoke photographic creations, we were truly inspired by the beauty she creates. Meg has carved a niche for herself in the Australian and International market photographing couture gowns and wedding dresses that appear to float, suspended mid-air as if they were dancing to their own tune. Each one of her artworks are hauntingly beautiful and mesmerising, and we just had to find out more about her.
Read on as Natalie Finney interviews Meg, where she shares just how she came to choose dresses as her primary photographic subject, just a few of her secrets and also some invaluable advice for anyone looking to exhibit their work or advance creatively.
Meg Cowell ‘Isis (The Throne)’
Q/ Thank you so much Meg, for taking some time to indulge us with this interview! I first came across your stunning portfolio of works while scrolling Instagram and was pleasantly taken aback by their unparalleled beauty and conceptual uniqueness. How on earth did you come to choose this particular subject matter, that is, underwater images of extravagant garments such as couture gowns and wedding dresses?
A/ The idea behind using water for my images came years ago when I was living in Hobart. I would walk into town via the river and think about all the fabulous tragic literary characters I was drawn to. For example, Shakespeare’s Ophelia with her pluming dress, having thrown herself into the river in a gesture symbolic of what had already happened to her soul. Similarly, Dickens’s tortured character Miss Havisham with her moth-eaten wedding dress and the tragedy of her plight. I started bringing beautiful fabrics and garments with me on these walks and dipping them into the water to see if I could visually describe anything of poetry and loaded symbolism of these characters. I was also interested in trying to express some of the moods and emotions associated with the idea of being adrift; physically and emotionally. I remember watching Jane Champion’s The Piano and being particularly inspired by the depiction of Ada’s clothing and her drowning scene where she is dragged below the waves by her billowing clothes.
I've always been interested in institutions of dressing. For instance, the white wedding dress is a potent example of the transformative properties of clothing; bodied as transformative phenomena and disembodied as relic. Similarly Victorian era mourning dress- after the death of her husband Queen Victoria spent more than forty years in mourning black to symbolise her spiritual darkness.
The idea of shooting wedding dresses came much later. A neighbour asked me to photograph her own wedding dress; a commissioned piece that she could display in her home. That sparked the idea that I could advertise my project as 'bespoke wedding dress photography' and that there was a market (however niche) for my work. This has been an excellent way of subsidising my fine-art career. I make some income sporadically from selling photographs through my galleries but the wedding dress commissions are quite regular (I recommend any artist have a think about whether or not there's a way to commercialise their own work. If you want free advertising for your project write an interesting story about your process and send it around to websites and blogs that feature similar content).
Meg Cowell ‘Najwa’
Q/ Your portraits of exquisite frocks literally come to life in your work and they almost feel as if they have a character unto themselves, dancing in the darkness of a blackened night sky. Can you take us through the practical process of how you create these magnificent works?
A/ I won't go into too much detail as I don't want to spoil the magic, but I will say that my studio comprises a 1000 litre inflatable swimming and an arrangement of scaffolding above. My ability to imply the female figure in the garments is a product of a LONG period of experimentation. For a while I just photographed the undergarments, corsets filled with stuffing attached to underskirts, to better understand a way of sculpturally building forms. I often have the garments completely filled out with the under-workings before I put them in the water which provides the movement and energy. I am really interested in creating a sense of pose and movement with the garments and substituting the absent female figure.
Meg Cowell ‘Astrid’
Q/ I expect working with water has its challenges! I am thinking unwanted reflections, movement of water, the physical challenge of arranging the garment, the list goes on, I am sure. What would you say is the hardest part of working with this medium?
A/ All of the above! The benefit of taking basically the same photograph over and over again is that you learn techniques to combat these issues quite quickly. Large amounts of black sheeting fabric and bulldog clips are a girl's best friend. I often sew stabilizing threads from the wrists and neck of the garment to bricks anchored in the pool to minimize movement.
Q/ The couture gowns you work with reference varying periods of fashion. I imagine you might see them as characters in their own right! How do you source these, and do you have a favourite style or era of gown to work with?
A/ I started out hiring gowns from costume shops to photograph, but it is a very expensive way to work. When I moved to Melbourne I got a job straight away at an excellent costume shop (Masquerade Costume Hire) that specialises in period costume. I also got a job modeling at VCA so I could access their extensive costume department. I don't have a favourite style as such. As long as the garment has an appealing colour, texture and details. Period garments are so rewarding to work with because of the lavish detail, colours and the sheer quantity of fabric.
Q/ Your first solo exhibition, titled ‘To the Surface’ was held in 2012. That must have been a big career highlight! Since then, you have held a multitude of exhibitions, many of them shown at Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne. Can you share with our readers your advice or tips on working towards exhibiting their own collections of work?
A/ Yes. I would suggest looking at artists that are where you want to be career wise. Look at artists whose work has a similar aesthetic to your own. Download their CV and basically template it. Enter the art prizes they have entered. Look at what residency programs have they been a part of and what education have they had. What stepping stones have they taken to lead to where they are now? Then finally what galleries do they exhibit with? You don’t have to stick with choosing one gallery in Melbourne. Aim for one gallery in Victoria, one in NSW and one in Tasmania. Draft an email to your dream gallery. It’s good to be writing off the back of something validating like ‘I’ve just been shortlisted for such and such award' or 'I have recently enjoyed success with this exhibition'.
Q/ You offer a completely unique service to brides, creating one-of-a-kind artworks out of their own wedding dresses. I personally would love to have one of these hanging in my home! Is your service offered worldwide and how long do these usually take you to create?
A/ Yep. I have had clients in the US and from all over Australia. Once I have the dress it will take me around a week to photograph. I often send the client sample images as I work so they can be assured we are on the same page with your vision for the feeling of the image.
Q/ What can we next expect to see from Meg Cowell? Any exciting projects on the horizon or exhibitions coming up?
A/ Good question. I suppose the aim is to keep creating but take things up a notch technically. I'd like to find a way to build the garments up like giant sculptures before photographing them. I'm obsessed with the idea of creating an aesthetic that feels like Andrew Wyeth meets Alice in Wonderland meets Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette. Sheerness and frills layered over dresses for sensory overload. Ribbons tied at the neck for strong sexual undertones. Something of that flavour will be next
