In order to get the level of detail in these portraits that Patrick and Mary wanted, Patrick took 7 to 8 photos of Mary as she stood very still, and stitched the photos together so that the texture of the fabrics, the paint on the skin, can be seen in a way one cannot possibly see them in the films. It’s important that the artifice is seen; see how things are constructed, since human beings are constructed through language and history and mythology, and it’s the imperfect assemblage of these layers that makes humans interesting. The Hammer museum in Los Angeles commissioned these lightboxes in 2015 to accompany the premiere of the finished trilogy of films.

In this image Pasiphae is poised on the fence, at the point of no return, about to leap into the bull’s field. Her costume exaggerates her sexual power. I based the costume partly on Pamela Anderson, a California beach babe archetype. Although Pasipahe’s desire destroys her in the end, this image captures the queen at her moment of greatest power, when the dream is at its peak.