This series began quietly as a classic technical and visual exercise focusing on luxury watches. And then everything shifted.
Halfway through, we stopped the process, realising it was too predictable. Not enough us, not enough Souffle. We completely changed course, swapping fine watchmaking for kitsch consumer items found online. The aim was to challenge the definition of desire. Does an object have value because of its materials or because of how we choose to look at it?
We treated plastic with the respect usually reserved for gold and platinum.
Applying the rigorous precision of ultra-luxury advertising, we used light to reveal the ‘nobility’ of inexpensive manufacturing. Technologically, we adopted a hybrid workflow, combining precise studio photography with generative AI. Unlike traditional retouching, AI was used here to create ‘synthetic perfection,’ a hyper-realistic finish that accentuates the contrast between the banality of the object and the preciousness of the execution.
By applying the visual codes of luxury to crappy objects, we sought to create a “visual short circuit” that forces the viewer to look twice.
As well as exercising our style and having a laugh, we also wanted to suggest that, with the right vision, the ordinary can become iconic.
