Kirsty Mitchell’s opulent fantasy portrait series, Wonderland, began in the summer of 2009 as a homage to her late mother’s legacy of teaching literature to children. Maureen Mitchell was an English teacher who illuminated the minds of countless children with her fantastic stories for over three decades. When Maureen passed away, Kirsty turned to photography to create a “storybook without words”— an enchanted visual space that would serve as a home for the “fragments of fairytales” she remembered from her mother’s storytelling.

Anne has previously followed Kirsty’s evolution as an artist and her recognition as one of 100 photographers — along with AOC favourite and Kirsty friend Kate Scott — in Vogue Italia’s first Corso Como PhotoVogue 2012 exhibit. Both artists were also featured in Vogue Italia’s second exhibit this summer of 25 photographers, now able to feature more works at Corso Como founder’s Carla Sozzani Gallery.

I was astounded to discover recently Kirsty Mitchell’s artistry and we are pleased to showcase her work and evolution as an artist in this major feature on AOC’s front page. ~ Feanne

Gaia, The Birth Of An End - Wonderland 2009-2013 by Kirsty Mitchell

The obsessively detailed props are created entirely by hand— a laborious process that gives Kirsty a sensuous and tactile connection with her creativity, while simultaneously easing her grief. Each shoot is thoroughly documented with behind-the-scenes footage and diary entries. Gaia, The Birth Of An End features an extraordinary handmade headdress— crafted entirely by Kirsty herself— so enormous and heavy that it needed to be attached to a wooden beam in the studio “to take the weight off the model’s head”. The image depicts Gaia’s transformation from mortal to divine, and the impressive headdress is symbolically elevates the character into her goddess state.

I quickly found that that the physical creation became my favourite part— the chance to step into the scenes for real was unlike any other experience in my life to date. It made my daily existence a better and richer place, and slowly helped me deal with my grief. At first people presumed everything was created in Photoshop, the scale of the props, the colours, even the entire landscapes the models were in! So I began to write thorough diary accounts about each picture, and took behind the scenes photographs of the shoots and costumes being made, so the viewer could understand the amount of work involved. There were no stylists, designers or professional support teams and nothing was commissioned. It was simply a few passionate friends working for free, with what I could afford out of my wages every month, whilst I begged and borrowed the rest. - Kirsty Mitchell

The Storyteller - Wonderland 2009-2013 by Kirsty Mitchell

The breathtaking natural beauty of the English countryside served as both stage and muse for the elaborate portraits, some of which were planned a full year in advance in order to capture particular seasonal moments.