LOCKDOWN OVER

IN A SHORT TIME NOW LOCKDOWN WILL BE OVER. TO CELEBRATE I CREATED THIS ADVERTISING POSTER FROM MAINLY OTHER PEOPLE'S PHOTOGRAPHS FROM GOOGLE IMAGES. THE THINKING BEHIND THE POSTER IS LOCKDOWN WILL SOON BE OVER AND TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS WILL BE LIFTED JUST IN TIME FOR A LATE SUMMER WEEKEND IN PARIS.

HOWEVER, THIS IMAGE DID NOT START OUT THIS WAY. IT STARTED WHEN I TOOK A PHOTOGRAPH OF KAGAN'S GOLDFISH SWIMMING HAPPILY IN HIS (I THINK THE FISH IS MALE) FISH TANK. I THOUGHT NOW WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH THIS.

MY FIRST THOUGHTS WERE. IT WOULD BE GREAT IF THERE WAS A MUCH GREATER FISH WITH ITS MOUTH OPEN. I COULD PUT IN MENACING LOOKING TEETH TO GIVE IT REAL DRAMA AND CAPTURE AN IMAGINARY NIGHTMARE IN TIME. THIS LINE OF THOUGHT DID NOT WORK OUT DUE TO SCALE WITHIN THE IMAGE SPACE. I COULD HAVE CREATED A LARGER CANVAS KNOCKED OUT THE BACKGROUND AND THEN BROUGHT IN THE LARGE FISH BUT IN MY MIND I THOUGHT IF I WAS TO THINK FOR LONGER I WOULD BE ABLE TO COME UP WITH A BETTER CONCEPT. NOW I STARTED TO THINK MAYBE A HUMAN IN THE TANK WITH THE FISH MIGHT WORK. THE PHOTOGRAPH WOULD IMMEDIATELY MAKE YOU QUESTION HOW IS THE HUMAN BREATHING UNDERWATER? SO I CHOSE THIS NUDE FROM AN EARLIER SHOOT BECAUSE IT LOOKS AS THOUGH SHE IS USING A BREATHING APPARATUS.

I DROPPED HER INTO THE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE FISHTANK. SCALED HER DOWN FOR DRAMA, MAKING THE SIZE OF THE GOLDFISH MENACING AND A REAL DANGER TO THE GIRL.

ONCE I OVERLAID THE WATER DROPLETS I STARTED TO THINK. IT IS OK, IS IT ENOUGH? THEN I THOUGHT THAT THE CONDENSATION BUBBLES REMIND ME OF CHAMPAGNE AND ICE CUBES. OBVIOUSLY YOU DO NOT PUT ICE CUBES IN CHAMPAGNE BUT YOU DO USE THEM TO KEEP THE BOTTLE CHILLED IN A BUCKET.

I SEARCHED GOOGLE IMAGES FOR A BOTTLE OF CORDON NEGRO CHAMPAGNE IN A ICE BUCKET. I CONTINUED MY THOUGHTS ALONG THIS LINE AND THOUGHT IT WOULD WORK IF THE ABOVE PHOTOGRAPH BECAME A BLACK ICE CUBE. TO COMPLIMENT THE BLACK BOTTLE THAT IS THE TRADEMARK OF CORDON NEGRO CHAMPAGNE.

USING A BIT OF POWERPOINT AND A BIT OF PHOTOSHOP I MANAGED TO CREATE THE ICE CUBE AND DROP THE FISH AND GIRL INTO IT. NOW I DROPPED MANY COPIES OF THE ICE CUBE INTO THE CHAMPAGNE BUCKET. NOW I HAVE A CHAMPAGNE BUCKET FILLED WITH BLACK ICE CUBES. WHAT TO DO WITH IT? I THOUGHT A CHAMPAGNE BUCKET USUALLY MEANS A CELEBRATION. WHAT DO WE HAVE TO CELEBRATE AND I CAME UP WITH "COMING OUT OF LOCKDOWN". ONCE OUT OF LOCKDOWN WHERE WOULD THIS PHOTOGRAPH OF A CHAMPAGNE AND DRINKS BUCKET FIT. I THOUGHT A WEEKEND IN PARIS. THAT'S HOW THE FINISHED POSTER CAME ABOUT. HOWEVER, NOW THE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE ICE CUBES ARE NOW TOO SMALL TO NOTICE.