Marcille (Black Dress) – June 2025

This photo series centres on the character Marcille from Danjon Meshi (Delicious in Dungeon), specifically depicting a key transformation point in her story. The version portrayed here draws on a well-known narrative device often referred to as the "black suit" trope — commonly seen in comic media. Typically, when a hero dons a black costume, it signifies a darker turn in their journey, reflecting moral complexity or emotional weight. In Marcille’s case, this trope is deeply relevant. The outfit symbolises a moment when she willingly takes a darker path, compromising her own morality in order to protect and save her friends. It’s a powerful shift in character, and I wanted to ensure the imagery echoed the weight of that decision. To support this theme, I looked to three artists known for their exploration of sorrow, transformation, and inner turmoil: Alexandre Cabanel's The Fallen Angel (1847), Henry Fuseli’s The Nightmare (1781) John William Waterhouse’s The Lady of Shalott (1888). Each of these works conveys a sense of quiet tragedy and emotional depth that I aimed to channel into the photos and matched the source. To bring that atmosphere to life, I chose to shoot in an abandoned nunnery, a location that provided the perfect setting for solitude, decay, and reflection. A great deal of time was spent ensuring the lighting, costume, and composition matched the melancholic tone of both the original narrative and the artistic influences behind it.