Out of the depths of Darkness comes a creature older than time....
Featured in the 1922 silent film "Nosferatu" by German director F.W. Murnau, with the iconic Max Schreck in the role of Graf Orlok the Vampire, the creature surfaces again in a unique shadow box which is a loving tribute to the film, its director, and the immortal Max Schreck!
Let me be your guide through the different aspects of the Nosferatu shadow box, and brief you on how it came to be as you see it now. I hope you'll enjoy the tour!
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| Still from the 1922 film "Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens" (A Symphony of Horror). |
The film "Nosferatu" was one of the earliest films ever made around the legend of the vampire, and was heavily based on the 1897 novel 'Dracula' by Bram Stoker.
To avoid paying high royalties, German film director W.F. Murnau changed the names of the characters and places in Stoker's novel, leaving the rest of the story virtually unchanged.
The movie sparked a lot of controversy from the very beginning, yet passed the test of time to become the cult film it is today, and a great example of German Expressionism!
The role of the vampire (Graf Orlok) was played by Max Schreck, who reportedly went to great lengths to 'become' the evil count.
Inspired by his dedication, I did something unusual myself too: I listened non-stop to a soundtrack for the film by the French band ART ZOYD during the entire duration of the project, using my headphones. Considering that I worked for hours on end each day, at a certain point I 'became' the soundtrack, hence the film, and, as a consequence, started to feel like Nosferatu himself!
Inspired by his dedication, I did something unusual myself too: I listened non-stop to a soundtrack for the film by the French band ART ZOYD during the entire duration of the project, using my headphones. Considering that I worked for hours on end each day, at a certain point I 'became' the soundtrack, hence the film, and, as a consequence, started to feel like Nosferatu himself!
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| Original film poster |
The Shadow Box
When it came to making the Nosferatu shadow box, I decided to take one of the more iconic scenes from the film for inspiration; where the evil count is seen traveling clandestinely in the cargo hold of the 'schooner' that would take him to the city of Wisborg, where he had bought a property. With him there are several boxes (coffins) filled with earth of his native country Transylvania. The boxes also contain an army of rats, that are released when a sailor breaks open the coffins with an axe.
As the original film was black & white (there is also a version in sepia) I chose to create the shadow box in monochrome colors, to capture the atmosphere of the film. This is a technique which I love very much, and use very often in my artwork.
Great care was taken to give an authentic 'feel' to the shadow box. Most of the items had to be built from scratch, as there were not available. For example, to make the fishing net illustrated above, I followed an 'how to' tutorial on Youtube, so I could make one myself.
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| Boxes containing earth from Transylvania |
Likewise, the hand-made boxes (actually, coffins) contain authentic earth from Transylvania. A friend of mine who lives there (a real Transylvanian girl!) gathered it, and shipped it to me, for which I'm eternally grateful to her.
Although the boxes are closed, and therefore the earth cannot be seen, I know it's there, and that, in my view, adds to the authenticity of the whole project. Adding things that cannot be seen is a recurring feature in my work, starting with my very first shadow box up until this day!
Although the boxes are closed, and therefore the earth cannot be seen, I know it's there, and that, in my view, adds to the authenticity of the whole project. Adding things that cannot be seen is a recurring feature in my work, starting with my very first shadow box up until this day!
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| The vampire, close and personal. |
Rats! Everywhere!!
Rats have a role to play in the story. They travel with Nosferatu in the coffins with earth.
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| Period poster showing the rats escaping the coffins with Nosferatu. |
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| A rat sitting on top of the coffins. |
When it came to modelling these eerie rodents, I opted to sculpture them very roughly with clay. In my view, this would give them a more 'dynamic' hence more alive appearance, specially when being photographed from a certain angle and in a certain light.
In the shadow box, they crawl over the wooden floor of the ship's hold, like in the film, and one of them is even sitting on top of the coffins. Nosferatu is undisturbed by them, after all, they are his companions (and a source of food for 'emergencies', when human blood is not available!).
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Other items
When designing the shadow box, I soon ran into the problem of scale: I couldn't find items that would fit. The boxes I use are very shallow and not that big, hence it's always a challenge to make things fit, specially when one wants to create a sense of space and depth.
The good thing about this, is that it forces one to be creative, and use every available millimeter. Luckily, this is something that I'm used to do when creating comic strips.
The theme of this shadow box is also quite unique, hence suitable miniatures are also not easy to find. After all, one cannot buy a bunch of miniature rats, or a set of coffins in your average dolls house store! But again, this allowed me to test my resourcefulness and creativity to the limit.
The book you see in these images was done in a 'playful moment', and is not a part of the film. I made it simply because I love books. But, to link it to the subject, I made a sketch based on stills from the film on each and every one of its pages.
Other hand-made items in the shadow box include a sail, a jute bag, a pulley, and a oil lamp. Images of these items can be seen below.
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| Rolled up sail suspended from the ceiling. Note the wooden beams behind it. |
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| A basket containing potatoes, covered with a protective cloth. |
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| Door consisting of two layers of wood, with individual boards glued together. |
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| Oil lamp, hanging from a nail on a beam. The lamp was made by me as well. |
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| Hand-made bag. |
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| Pulley. |
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| Just for fun: a miniature painting done during the project. |
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| Brass plate on the side of the shadow box |
Ok, this is it, I hope you liked this project as much as I enjoyed working on it! Even though I could write a book about it, I'll leave it here... for now!
I want to dedicate this project to the loving memory of my father, who was also a great fan of the 'supernatural' and the macabre, and always encouraged me to 'think beyond', and keep an open mind. Thanks, dad!
I want to dedicate this project to the loving memory of my father, who was also a great fan of the 'supernatural' and the macabre, and always encouraged me to 'think beyond', and keep an open mind. Thanks, dad!
"Nosferatu"
(2017, shadow box, 12x7,5x3 inch).
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