Settlement of the Heart is an artistic re-exploration of a collection dedicated to the rawness and intimacy of femininity.
Longing for escape, two friends construct a new environment, a sanctuary to retreat to. As they step into this self-made refuge, the anxieties and fears that gripped them their whole lives fade, allowing a new liberated self to emerge.
In this space, they shed societal constraints and embrace their womanhood on their terms, unrefined, warm, and entirely feminine. This transformation is only possible within a space built from their deepest emotional conflicts, a settlement of the heart where freedom is both claimed and created.
The film serves as a direct extension of the fashion collection under the same name. Every element from set design to cinematography enhances the sentiments the garments seek to evoke.
Designer Mariana De Lima (Rat Prints) uses print and sustainable design to pay homage to the influential women in her life and channels their experiences into her work, celebrating their resilience and strength. By observing their emotions of anger, disappointment, and entrapment, she sheds light on the struggles of womanhood.
This collection enhances the dimensions of the feminine body by upcycling and reconstructing materials like undergarments and tights, creating a new harmonious “second skin.”
Similarly, the set, by Viktoriia Chernykh, is mostly built from found materials to match and feel as one with the clothes. The space symbolises their personal arena, crafted using recycled fabrics, bin bags, plastics, and woven knits, all arranged to drape along the walls to form a tent-like structure.
Director Shang Salah and cinematographer Danaia Konstantinova took inspiration from early fashion editorials auteurs, Guy Bourdin and Helmut Newton, to experiment with film videography and surreal set-ups.
They shot using a handheld 16 mm Bolex to complement the organic warmth and gritty atmosphere. The varied textures of the set were accentuated by a combination of soft and hard light sources and painted shapes on the tent, while the outside world retains an air of mystery and intrigue.
This project was a labour of love to reimagine the artistry of fashion.
Director and Editor: Shang Salah
DOP and Colour Grade: Danaia Konstantinova
Production Designer: Viktoriia Chernykh
Fashion Designer: Mariana De Lima
Music Composer: Lapis
Models: Leticia Ferreira and Lilac Khatib
HMUA and PA: Divyanshi Menaria
Concept: Clyde Cepeda, Danaia Konstantinova, and Shang Salah
Title Graphics and Animator: Marlowe Campbell
Credit Graphics: Diego Castillo
Edit Support: Tae Sasin and Emitter
Lighting Kit: Bulb Rentals
Produced By: ROOD Collective and G12 Studios
Special Thanks: Agelos Kotzias, Jastin Tan, Tobias May, and Ritvik Tyagi