A princely castle, a fountain in the grounds of a palace: sometimes, when we catch sight of a picture from a project, we get a vague feeling of déjà vu.
Yes, but where have we seen it before? And, above all, when?
Growing up surrounded by storybooks and animated fairy tales on TV, we have almost unconsciously squirrelled away a raft of images of princes, dragons, castles and palaces. These are the memories that are awakened when we see certain photos. Here are five photos that have caused us to call to mind some of the fairy tales from our childhood.
If the stories contain a few details that sound unfamiliar, don’t worry: it’s not your memory playing tricks on you, it’s just a slight reinterpretation in light of ... the light, of course :)
The ball at the prince’s palace
Cinderella thanked her Fairy Godmother, climbed into the carriage, and set off happily towards the palace. When she entered the ballroom, the Prince was instantly charmed with her and invited her to dance. The Prince and Cinderella did not leave each other’s side for the rest of the evening.
They danced alone, on the terrace bathed in the light of Trevi profiles. Following the contours of the balustrade, the fixtures’ wide beams isolated that place and the two lovers in an enchanted and timeless dimension.
All too soon, however, the first stroke of midnight chimed from the clock on the tower ...
The wisdom of Grandmother Willow
“But, Grandmother Willow, what is my path?”
[...]
“All around you are spirits, child. They live in the earth, the water, the sky. If you listen, they will guide you.”
“I hear the wind.”
“Yes. What is it telling you?”
“I don’t understand.”
[...]
“Listen with your heart. You will understand.” “Let it break upon you. Like a wave upon the sand.”
Pocahontas stayed silent, listening, leaning against the trunk of Grandmother Willow. She looked up at the imposing foliage, lit across its vast spread by four uplights, and she felt cocooned and protected. The light reflected off the leaves, which, moving slightly in the wind, truly looked like guiding spirits engaged in whispering a profound truth to her.
Dreams of freedom in the Sultan’s palace
“Dearest, you’ve got to stop rejecting every suitor who comes to call. The law says you must be married to a prince.” [...]
“Father! If I do marry ... I want it to be for love. [...] Please, try to understand! I’ve never done a thing on my own. I’ve never had any real friends. I’ve never even been outside the palace walls.”
Stra 3.0, 3000K, 25W, 30° + 14°, tamper-resistant screws, customized version with trim ø330 mm / Moby P 2.1, RGBW, 20W, 62° / Moby P 1.1, RGBW, 9W, 31x64°. Go to the project and credits
Jasmine sat on the edge of the fountain, swirling her fingers in the water, coloured a deep blue by the RGBW light coming from projectors in the large basin. Absorbed in her thoughts, she stared at their light beams directed at the centre of the fountain, marking out the surface of the water like rays of sunlight. Their colour gently softened from a bright blue to darker shades before brightening again.
“But, Jasmine, you’re a princess.”
“Then maybe I don’t want to be a princess any more!”
With a sudden gesture, she plunged her entire hand into the water. The noise and splashes she produced startled the birds sitting in the trees, and they all rose together in flight. Jasmine watched them fly off into freedom.
Dinner for two
“Now, here you are-a, the best-a spaghetti in-a town.”
Tony put the plate of spaghetti and meatballs in the centre of the table set for two and went off, leaving Lady and the Tramp alone.
Above the table hung a lamp, which Tony had wanted painted red as a symbol of the love between the couples eating at his restaurant. It emitted a warm, soft light in a wide beam that enveloped the two dogs, transporting them into an intimate, romantic world of their own.
The Tramp was lost in Lady’s big brown eyes, while she was gazing at him with a smile. Neither had yet realised that the strands of spaghetti they were eating were the two ends of the same piece ...
The underwater world
“Ariel, listen to me, the human world, it’s a mess. Life under the sea is betterthan anything they got up there!”
and, with an expansive gesture, Sebastian pointed out the wonders of the underwater world: the schools of colourful fish; the coral, algae and starfish.
Bright 1.0 316L, 3000K, 21°. Go to the project and credits
But Ariel dreamily turned her gaze back to the surface. Nothing matches the beauty of nature, it’s true, she thought to herself, but human beings have used all their ingenuity to imitate its creativity.
The Little Mermaid thought back to that evening and what had struck her about the human world above water. There had been a staircase that plunged down into a pool of water, with small fixtures recessed into every step, narrow optics emitting beams of light that had reminded her of the sun’s rays. As they reached the bottom of the sea, they had lit up its inhabitants like actors on a stage.
