Hermit Hussy
Story by SALMIAK Studio
Hermit Hussy raises questions about the duality of the perception of self-care that separates between health and vanity. It explores the difference between the need to cultivate a better physical and emotional state as opposed to the desire to fit in and become a part of society by following the same rules, routines, and trends. The additional element of the narrative is the creation of a sensual yet powerful character who embodies femininity, authenticity, and resilience. The use of colors, fabrics, and styling, along with hair and makeup decisions, helps to create a unique look and enhance the perception of the day-to-day, yet almost imaginary feel, of the life of the character. The team explains, “Our aim was to create a sense of intimacy and absurdity. We wanted to show a lot of skin, create interesting textures and compositions with different skin care products and materials, and exaggerate certain elements.”
The team behind the story is SALMIAK Studio, consisting of Marije Seijn and Annie van Noortwijk. The work is a collaboration with Isabel Wang Pontoppidan, stylist Jip Boxstart part of WÜL Collective, makeup artist Anita Jolles, hair artist Daan Kneppers, styling assistant Sofie Waas, and producer Jane Kate van Nispen.
Art Direction & Photography by Marije Seijn & Annie van Noortwijk at SALMIAK Studio Styling by Jip Boxstart Part of WÜL Collective MUA by Anita Jolles Hair by Daan Kneppers Styling Assistant Sofie Waas Talent Isabel Wang Pontoppidan Story Text by Isabel Wang Pontoppidan Production by_janekate Location provided by Plaggemars Makelaars
Words by Nastasia Khmelnitski
‘I ripped the first page off the calendar and discarded it. February stared back at me, short and blank and empty.’
Isabel Wang Pontoppidan
I ripped the first page off the calendar and discarded it. February stared back at me, short and blank and empty. January winked from the bin. I get my red pencil out from behind my dirty ear and begin to fill in the little boxes. I write many things, especially on the weekends. Go to the plant store, the home renovation store, and the paint shop. Repaint the walls, order a bookcase from IKEA, and put it together. Repot the plants, bleach my eyebrows, wax my asshole, get my nails done, have my upper lip threaded. Order that laser hair removal device I get so many ads for on Instagram. I fill in the boxes, I fill in the boxes, they are full of red, crumbly scribble. I write down that I must make time for myself. At least two times a week, I dedicate an evening to so-called self-care, which just consists of sitting alone in my room and trying not to look at my phone. Self-care, self-care, I scribble into the boxes. February fills up steadily, and so does my life. January looks at me, battered and bloody in the bin, covered in my crimson marks, events, and plans scribbled over and replaced and shuffled around. At the end of each month, I resolve to get a larger calendar. I also have a little book version, a red book that has one week arranged per spread in which I can write about my plans in greater detail than the cubes on the wall allow. I keep a red pencil behind my ear, always, in case I need to write down something new.
‘When do you do something purely for yourself, and when do you actually care about the way you look, feel, and dress in the context of others.’
While we think there is a huge desire and necessity to better take care of ourselves at the moment, it's a fine line between actual ‘self-care’ and the continuous urge of needing to be better/prettier/healthier, etc. What does taking care of yourself really mean? It's a fascinating and complex subject, one we often talk about with each other and friends. When do you do something purely for yourself, and when do you actually care about the way you look, feel, and dress in the context of others.
During a trip through Death Valley in the US., there was a girl doing a yoga session on a picnic table and filming herself. Once she was done she walked back to her camera to review her footage, and we saw her being super annoyed and frustrated. She then walked back to do the whole series again. It was hilarious and sad at the same time.
‘It's not very Dutch to have a lot of color in your house, so when we stumbled upon this old house, we immediately saw the story come to life.’
Our aim was to create a sense of intimacy and absurdity. We wanted to show a lot of skin, create interesting textures and compositions with different skin care products and materials, and exaggerate certain elements. Location wise we imagined something very filmic and dramatic with coloured walls and details that you don’t see often. It's not very Dutch to have a lot of color in your house, so when we stumbled upon this old house, we immediately saw the story come to life. During the casting process, it became clear that we were looking for a collaboration with someone who wanted to share and add her ideas to the project. Isabel is an artist we met a couple of years ago on set and we have followed her projects, writings, and performances ever since.
She focuses a lot on identity and personal experiences in her own work and she is extremely photogenic, so she was the perfect fit. We were very excited to have Jip, Anita, and Daan on board, all super artistic and skilled in their craft. They did their research individually and visually made a beautiful translation within their discipline.
