In a new campaign video for Lewitt, photographer Ryan McGinley, films model Abbey Lee Kershaw in a number of outfits as she races through streets looking slightly disheveled. The background song is youthful and reminds me of a toy xylophone that a child would play on as a kid. Typically, McGinley is known for his controversial photos, but this time he strikes a different chord with this video.
A description of the video:
Then she enters a darkened building, curls up in the fetal position, runs some more, and climbs onto the roof. She rushes to the edge. There’s a close-up of her feet on the ledge. Then she jumps. Her fall is depicted in slow-motion, but the video fades to black before Kershaw’s body lands.
It is somewhat puzzling as to why Lewitt would choose to make a video that mirrors suicide considering the number of models that we have recently lost in the fashion industry including Korean-born Daul Kim. McGinely has since removed the video from YouTube, but you can still watch it here on YouKu.
Maybe, this is a coincidence, maybe not. What did Abbey Lee Kershaw have to say about the video?
Asked about the video, Kershaw said it was “based around the story of Alice in Wonderland.” She then protested that she had not seen the video, but that it had been edited, and ended the interview. “I’m done here. I’m done. Thank you.”
