IDEA: Nadia Lee Cohen “Women” installation, film screening and DSM exclusive flipbooks have arrived at Dover Street Market. Ground Floor. 

Nadia’s fascination with womanhood relates to the “theatrical side of being feminine”, a theme seen throughout her work and explored in her 2020 book “Women”.

The three-seater cinema installation at DSM, was created in collaboration with set designer Lyndon Ogbourne, features films of the models and sets in “Women”. Nadia explains why she filmed the photo set ups:  

“As documentation. I wanted to remember how the models moved or what the setting felt like. I’ve been trying to film life’s boring moments as well as the exciting ones so I just filmed a little bit of each set-up to make sure I had some sort of memory from the day. Sometimes it’s hard to remember those details from a still image as it only ever exists as that paused moment with no life outside the frame.”

Nadia has created a book to coincide with the launch of the films, and explains that creating the physical object “puts a line under a project and stops me from going on forever.” The limited-edition flipbooks launch in three boxes, each corresponding to where the films were shot: London, New York, and Los Angeles.

“Those are the three cities that I photographed over the course of 7 years. Each has such a distinct feel and sense of humour that separates them from one another. I thought it felt better to divide them rather than lump them in together.” 

Nadia Lee Cohen explains the importance of moving image in her work: 

“Mannerisms tell so much about a person’s character. For example, the way we place our hands when we have nothing to hold can sometimes reveal more about us than when we open our mouths.” 

The flipbooks help bring the images to life “I had two that I treasured as a child. Dumbo and Popeye. I loved the way I had to interact with them in order to make them come alive from the page (obviously having no idea about the concept of animation). I would tell my mates it was magic. I also told them I was related to Sacha Baron Cohen so they were probably already suspicious.”   

IDEA: Nadia Lee Cohen “Women” installation, film screening and DSM exclusive flipbooks has arrived at Dover Street Market. Ground Floor.