Victorian-Inspired Fiberglass Dresses Entrall with Their Haunting, Stiff Shapes
# The Enigmatic Beauty of Brandon Morris’s *Actress* Exhibition
Brandon Morris has perfected the uncommon skill of evoking discomfort through his artistry. His newest exhibit, *Actress*, showcased at **Europa Gallery** in New York City, presents a captivating assortment of spectral dresses—garments that possess an unsettling void at their center. Stripped of the figures that are meant to fill them, these eerily rigid silhouettes provoke a sense of intrigue and nostalgia, urging onlookers to face the emptiness they symbolize.
## Ethereal Dresses Frozen in Time
Morris, a talented dressmaker, possesses an elaborate comprehension of textiles and shape. The dresses featured in *Actress* are extraordinary. They do not flutter or sway; instead, they remain unnaturally stiff, as though caught in a moment of suspension. Each gown radiates a peculiar green luminescence, reminiscent of something from beyond, making them seem less like garments and more like haunting artifacts from a bygone era.
To craft these disconcerting figures, Morris carefully **reworked vintage Victorian children’s gowns** into novel designs. He then **assembled them using fiberglass** on an industrial sewing machine. The metamorphosis into spectral sculptures was finalized by infusing the dresses with **green resin**, endowing them with their stiff form and otherworldly glow. To preserve their hovering stance, Morris utilized internal mannequins during the resin curing process. Once set, the mannequins were removed, leaving behind hollow shapes that seem suspended in time—shells of what might have housed life.
## Grappling with Emptiness and Disquiet
A pivotal aspect of *Actress* is the unease it provokes. With their glowing translucence and forsaken appearance, these spectral dresses ignite urgent inquiries: **Who did they belong to? Where did they vanish to? What fate befell them?**
By eliminating the physical presence of a body, Morris encourages viewers to grapple with the **disturbing truth of absence**. His creations act as ghostly traces of yesteryears—indications of something or someone now gone. This concept resonates with a well-researched cultural intrigue in haunted items; the notion that particular objects preserve the essence of their previous owners is deeply rooted in folklore and horror.
## An Artist Influenced by Japanese Horror
Morris has taken inspiration from a distinct source of unsettling visuals: **the 1998 Japanese horror film *Ring***. The movie’s vengeful spirit, **Sadako**, is infamous for her rigid motions, her torso huddled within her flowing gown. According to Morris, this chilling image made a lasting impact on him and shaped the aesthetic of *Actress*. His pieces reflect the spectral rigidity and suggested presence of something that is not tangibly there, much like Sadako’s haunting appearances.
Europa Gallery describes the exhibition’s impact as follows:
*”We encounter whispers of flesh without a body. These dresses signify not life but its remnants.”*
## *Actress*: An Exploration of Haunting Allure
Brandon Morris’s *Actress* transcends a mere art installation—it’s a spectral reflection on emptiness, absence, and the vestiges of existence. His ghostly dresses, crafted with intention and accuracy, urge viewers to confront an enduring disquiet and to reflect on the narratives woven into these hollow figures.
For those intrigued by Morris’s distinctive take on sculptural dressmaking, you can delve deeper into his creative endeavors on **[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/codeunknown_/?hl=en)**.
### **Follow Brandon Morris:**
🔹 **Instagram**: [@codeunknown_](https://www.instagram.com/codeunknown_/?hl=en)
### **Discover Europa Gallery:**
🔹 **Website**: [europa.nyc](https://europa.nyc/)
🔹 **Instagram**: [@europa.nyc](https://www.instagram.com/europa.nyc/?hl=en)
Would you dare to enter a gallery filled with otherworldly gowns? The disquiet that *Actress* invokes lingers well beyond the confines of the exhibit—an echo of the unseen, yet intensely felt.