Buying the masterpiece LaChapelle Land while studying in New York back in the 1990s had made us fans of David LaChapelle's amazing sceneries and imagery ever since. David LaChapelle is one of a kind – and he is inviting us all to his own universe.
We made the publication and the exhibition graphics for the huge exhibition Burning Beauty at Fotografiska Stockholm. David LaChapelle wanted to move away from the more commercial aspects of his art. To convey that, we decided to use one of his very earliest works on the cover. We printed the cover on silver. We worked a lot with the inlay to find a cinematic flow of the imagery. Four different kinds of paper is used in the inlay, and it was printed in five colours with gold as the additional colour. Sending off the proofs by courier to Hawaii, where LaChapelle lived at the time, gave the project an extra edge.
While making the sketches for the cover of the catalogue, we came up with the title Burning Beauty. Michelangelo is one of David LaChapelle's big inspirations. Research for the title, we found out that Michelangelo had written sonnets and found the title in his sonnet Beauty and the Artist.
The graphics in the exhibition was inspired by the elaborate scenography in his photos. We also made a big portrait of the photographer in one of the stairways at Fotografiska. The opening party at Fotografiska became a legendary night including LaChapelle's muse Amanda Lepore being carried into the crowds by half-naked men.
The book was distributed by Thames & Hudson.
