CRYPTID IN
SHEEP’S CLOTHING
Art Direction & Costume Design
Co-Direction & Photography by Harry Williams
[2024]
CRYPTID IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING is an ongoing project of self-exploration, focusing on the themes of surrealism and Lovecraftian horror in response to questions of gender and out of body experiences.
I wanted to investigate my own experiences around feeling mismatched and fundamentally non-human at times of disassociation. In my own life, I quite often find myself equally disjointed from my environment in both body and mind, and a lot of the time it does feel like the two are connected. Being perceived generally is very unnerving to me - as much as I love the way I express myself individually, I regularly have trouble navigating a world that leans towards community and sociability.
Sometimes, existing publicly does feel like a breach of containment - I am that cryptid creature, I am that thing that’s not really supposed to be seen, that thing that is privately being and observing. And then when I feel like I’m being observed myself, it’s like a found footage reel, where you have people trying to discern you and figure you out. Almost like how you would feel about something of the uncanny valley.
Sometimes, existing publicly does feel like a breach of containment - I am that cryptid creature, I am that thing that’s not really supposed to be seen, that thing that is privately being and observing. And then when I feel like I’m being observed myself, it’s like a found footage reel, where you have people trying to discern you and figure you out. Almost like how you would feel about something of the uncanny valley.
Working alongside this concept, we incorporated elements like flash and long distance shots to hone in on a disconnect from the physical form. I later edited a couple of the photos as an alternative approach, where I was able to bring in digital techniques to enhance the aspects of surrealism and horror.
