How could I attempt to put together a Poe-inspired photo series without including a mouth shot??? One of the most valuable take-aways from this yearlong project has been my renewed interest in Poe and the discovery of new works. “Berenice” has easily become one of my favorite short stories because of the sheer absurdity of the crime. A madman rips out the hypnotic teeth of his dying bride.
Upon reading the story, I imagined that Berenice would become slightly put off by Egeus’ disturbed gaze strongly fixed on her mouth. This image could have been pulled straight out of Egeus’ mind, as if he wished to probe her mouth and investigate the smile that ignited his monomaniacal fit.
This was taken around the third or fourth day of shooting, before all the corpse make-up made me break out. My younger brother, who initially expressed interest in helping me with this project, hesitatingly agreed to take part.
