Imagine sitting in dark gym and watching a collection of glowing jellyfish and squid-like creatures undulate across the floor to bass-heavy electronic music with projections of sea creatures wiggling on the far wall. On Saturday, May 10, that’s exactly what people witnessed when Nell Heidinger’14 put on the show for her Contemporary Arts and Culture final project.

It was called the Surreal Summer Fashion Show, a massive production involving close to fifteen models and six other students working behind the scenes. Heidinger has spent all spring making many different costumes and attachments for everyone to wear.

Heidinger says, “When I began creating the Surreal Sea theme, I became extremely interested in the glowing sea creatures. I was totally mesmerized by the beauty and color of the deep sea jelly fish and squids.” Her costumes evoked the image of those jellies with glowing translucent caps and attachments. A couple of models wore “squid hats”, made of shiny material that had been formed into vague squid shapes.

Heidinger says she found inspiration from National Geographic videos on jellies. “I loved the contrast between their colors and the dark water that surrounded them,” she adds. With all the dark lighting and LED-glow lights on models, the contrast was really illuminated.

“My process begins by sketching. I sketched about thirty different ideas until I came up with what I wanted to show. I liked the idea of separating the outfits into colors. I tape-casted most of what I made for this project,” Heidinger says. She also used a lot of found materials in her costumes, such as old ballet outfits, popsicle sticks and wire. The boys in the show wore necklaces made from pool toys, and some of the glowing caps were made from an old project Heidinger used for her college portfolio.

Heidinger said she became interested in the surreal art movement during her Contemporary Arts and Culture class. “I was inspired by artists like Salvador Dali and Max Ernst who made such insane, dreamlike landscapes. I liked the idea of taking the underwater sea world and bringing it to life through a fashion show. I wanted people to see what I day-dreamed about, and what I could do with my imagination,” she says.

Putting together the show itself was no small feat. She rounded up around 15 models, recruited two girls to do hair and makeup, one boy to do music and projections, and a couple of photographers. The show ran for about half an hour, during which the models came onto the gym floor in near-darkness swirling and dancing to rhythmic music. There were a couple different sections so some quick costume changes were required.

The show culminated in a finale during which model Lindsay Richardson’14 wore a dress resembling an octopus, while the female models swirled around her in their jelly and squid costumes. The male models were scuba divers who searched around the gym with their flashlights, eventually joining in the big gathering on the floor.

Heidinger watched from backstage until the end when she came out and everyone clapped. She says, “During the show was by far the craziest I have ever been. My insides were literally boiling and I thought I was going to burst.” But, she adds, “I also learned that I do pretty well under pressure!”

The show was a unique experience, unlike anything else at Williston for both the models and the audience. Heidinger’s says, “I want the audience to feel as if they were submerged underwater and they are looking at the glowing jellyfish in awe.”

Nell Heidinger is a six-year senior at Williston from Westhampton, MA. Next year she will be attending the Art Institute of Chicago for college.