AARON AND OLUCHI: ART & OBSERVATION
“Gold and silver should be mixed whenever and wherever.” prophesies Oluchi, oscillating constantly between principle and process. As soon as she discovered St Oswalds charity shop in Heaton the 21-year old stylist knew she had to volunteer there; “I was like, how do I find a really big arsenal of clothes?” - and under her touch the pieces are redefined. Once she was caught in Aaron Wyld’s viewfinder at a free party, a collaboration was inevitable. In January, Oluchi drew in fellow creative Paris to model and pulled together two £20 outfits from St Oswalds.
For CLASS, Aaron and Oluchi break down the ideas behind the project.
Image: Aaron Wyld
O: I started with this idea of asymmetry.
To capture someone so elegant, put together and relaxed, against this alleyway that anyone native to Newcastle knows, whilst still seeming like she belongs in the shot… that’s it. That’s the juxtaposition that is so palpable here.
Image: Aaron Wyld
A: I love the separation of the foreground and background here - not only with the depth of field but with colour. Those pastel blues, greys, browns grounding it all. And then her face is what draws the eye… it’s so badass.
Image: Aaron Wyld
O: The minute a friend gave me the HideOut tee I was like, I really want to style this. The shirt gave this a cheeky edge, to an outfit that otherwise would have been quite, you know, sombre and cohesive.
Image: Aaron Wyld
O: This one was so off the cuff. We had like 2 photos left and I saw the skaters and I was like Aaron, we’re in.
A: Oluchi went over and said, do you mind getting in the back of this photo, and that was it. We never stopped brainstorming. I love how in this shot your eyes go on a journey round the frame. The light on Paris is quite harsh and then you look either side; there’s much more going on than you first think.
Image: Aaron Wyld
A: I think this photo came out the best. The backdrop is very Berlin, 90s, otherworldly. There’s youthfulness there, the sense of lingering around street corners and on walls with your friends. It’s like Paris was caught in the act.
Image: Aaron Wyld
O: Though you can’t see her face you can still see her personhood. From the body language alone you can sense her appreciation of the painting; that cock of the head was such a perfect addition! The cohesiveness in colouring means you view her not only as and an observer of the painting, but also an observer within it - it’s almost as if she could be inside that world.
Image: Aaron Wyld
A: This echoes renaissance portraits to me, from the jewellery to the pose, looking away from the camera. You’re not looking at her so much as observing her.
O: That watch as a necklace was essential in tying the look together - the outfit wasn’t complete without it. The glasses have an element of gold that matched the watch-necklace, and the white gold in the jewellery meant that I was able to add the almost-silvery headscarf.
Image: Aaron Wyld
A: Paris was moving around in the chair for about ten minutes as we tried to find the right pose and then she just sat back for a moment thinking and it just fell into place.
I love the crosshatch, herringbone style floor. And that old chair - she brought it to life.
Image: Aaron Wyld
A: I’ve never seen anything like this pose - you’d never think it would work like it does. It’s perfect against the randomness of the background. I did not believe Paris isn’t a model because she just knew innately how to move, how to pose, beyond anything Oluchi or I had thought of. It was just a meeting of minds.
See Newcastle’s rave scene through Aaron Wyld’s lens on his Instagram and website.
Oluchi’s latest curations can be found on her portfolio. All clothing used in this shoot, except the HideOut tee, are from St Oswald’s.
Browse HideOut, a local fashion collective, here.
