we asked five women to write down what the word love meant to them. We recorded them speaking the words and filmed them at 20 locations of their choice around London.
The five minute (4:59) film that resulted – 5 Women About Love – and the book – come entirely from their imagination. The film is online here, and the book is available here.
We asked each to pick four places or situations where she might be thinking about love, a set of clothes for each location, and a look of makeup and hair – none of which needed to match. Usually in film, character, location, costume and design are imposed. Here, each had complete freedom to explore her own thoughts. Sarita Plowman and John Park spent a lot of time sketching storyboards, trudging round locations in advance – and finding them (‘an Alice tree’ ‘a brothel’) – to find Prets and lavatories (aka dressing rooms, we know them all now), editing scripts and later, editing film. Stefan Lubomirski De Vaux and Matt Jamie are professional photographers – they both make films, but we wanted artists who came from a photographic background – and at each location they shot both stills and film.
We all think we know what love is, and of course for ourselves, we do. But it sometimes means different things to others and perhaps you’ll find something in 5 Women About Love which echoes feelings in your heart.
Five Women About Love features (left to right above) Chantal Pierre-Packer, Tracy Howell, Sarita Plowman, Josephine Arden, Nadia Gilani. It is filmed by Stefan Lubomirski De Vaux and Matt Jamie. Sound recorded at Unity Studios, engineered by Carlos Ziccarelli. Directed and produced by Sarita Plowman and John Park.
5 Women About Love 