Exclusively Commissioned by Six Scents Parfums for Six Scents Series Three, Alia Raza’s Le Viol de la Méduse (Version 1) reimagines the mythical Greek muse Medusa
as a character played by contemporary fashion
world muse Julia Restoin-Roitfeld. The story of the
young Medusa’s rape by the sea god Poseidon
while worshiping at the temple of Athena and
her subsequent punishment, a curse that to turn
her into a mutant, is told through imagery deriving
from beauty and fashion photography, commercials
and music videos, creating a contemporary, semi-narrative film collage that portrays an ancient myth
in two minutes. In a twist on the original story,
Medusa reverses Athena’s curse and returns herself
to human form. The objects that map her suffering -
gardenia and tuberose flowers, dried leaves and
incense, black sand and white powder, cigarettes
and scotch whiskey - are imaginary notes in the
mythic fragrance of Medusa’s journey from girl
to monster to woman.
Credits
Featuring – Julia Restoin-Roitfeld
Written & directed by – Alia Raza
Story editor – Tavi Gevinson
Executive producer – Derek Blasberg
Creative director – Stephanie Tran
Producer – Judith Goudsmit
Edited by – Natalie Mooallem
Original music written, produced and mixed by –
Jorge Elbrecht and Caroline Polachek
Director of photography – Sebastian Mlynarski
Production designer – Christopher Stone
Wardrobe stylist – Gillian Steinhardt
Makeup – James Boehmer for NARS Cosmetics
Hair – Marcos Diaz
Associate producer – Colleen Divincentis
Art department assistant – Chad Wentzel
Wardrobe assistant – Alejandro Garcia
Production assistants – Chris Elia, Jonathan Thai
Makeup assistant – Jake Sammis
Titles – Alex Judson
Medusa’s victims – Grant Singer
Medusa’s mirrored hands – Alexander May
Young medusa’s burqa – Amber Halford
Medusa’s ritual gown – Brian Frank
Wardrobe generously provided by
Albright Fashion Library NY
Altuzarra
Duskin
Heather Huey Millinery
Luisa Beccaria
New York Vintage Inc
Piers Atkinson
Raquel Allegra
Threeasfour
Toni Maticevski
VPL by Victoria Bartlett
Special thanks
Lucas Michael