Interview with Delilah Sixthessence, gothic and alternative model who gives us beautiful photo shoots worthy of the admiration of any lover of the dark, gothic but also horror genre. Let's find out who Delilah is.
L: Who is Delilah?
Q: Delilah is simply me, in the various facets of my character and dreams. I have not built a character on myself; there is nothing that the Delilah you see in photos (or more generally, in what I do on the internet) is not part of the Delilah that exists in real life. Indeed, the Delilah of the internet is much more limited precisely because, often, just an image and a few scattered manifestations and not a person to interact with.
L: You love creative styles and genres. Which ones do you identify with the most? What do you think about gothic and dark?
Q: I am a hopeless darkettona :D. Photographically, my first photos were geared almost exclusively to this genre; then I opened up to other representations, partly because my world is quite diverse - in everything I do.
L: What genres do you reject instead and why?
Q: I don't do nudity or erotica, simply because they don't interest me as genres.
L: How many years have you been an alternative model? What struck you about this world so much that you decided to be a part of it?
Q: About ten now, I would say. How time passes, huh?
Back in the day, when I started, there were no alternative models. Not in Italy at least; something was certainly moving abroad, where they have always been more open artistically (absurdly, Italy has a lot of very good artists and some definitely "alternative" in their way of creating but in general it is rather conservative). My first photos were a representation of what I was, what I felt. I was lucky enough to be able to collaborate with photographers in Italy and abroad. First with friends, then with professional photographers and amateur photographers. It is still like that today; in my photos there is me, and each theme is the union of me with the specific photographer and whoever else participates in the shoot.
L: If you take a look at the early photos that marked your modeling career, what do you think?
Q: I think about the memories they convey to me. To the moments and anecdotes behind any given photo, to the things that only I can remember just from being there. To how I felt, to the people who were around me in those moments. And I often smile.
L: You are also a Cosplay model. Have you ever dressed as a character from the horror world? Which one is the most villainous?
Q: Of cosplay I have done very little. I, contrary to the "cosplayers at 100%" who deserve all my admiration, only take pictures. Because maybe I like the character, because maybe at a given moment I'm proposed to take on the role of someone else and I like the idea, because -- for so many reasons. But I don't make my own cosplay costumes, although I often create the accessories for my shoots myself. I really have a great respect for cosplayers, the real ones, who stay up nights sewing to be ready for every fair.
L: Which most villainous fairy tale characters would you like to repurpose with your style? Which horror ones?
Q: The floor plan of the little store of horrors (Audrey II).
L: Generally how does one of your photo shoots come about? Do you decide on the location, clothing, etc., or do you rely on the photographers' imagination?
Q: In the beginning it almost always happened that I took care of everything. Often I would come in "full package" and the photographer, intrigued by the not-quite-common style, would just shoot. In the end I was what I wanted exactly as I wanted, and he would shoot it from his own point of view. It often happened that I edited the photographs myself (I worked as a graphic designer, and I always had the approval-if not the explicit request-of the photographer).
Then I changed the way I did things; on the philosophy of "great minds think alike," I found some people with whom creating a set is a matter of minutes, and the more we shoot together, the easier it becomes.
And then there's the basic philosophy that I apply to everyone; I try to figure out what things they like in common. If everybody likes Lovecraftian atmospheres, that's where I'll go to come up with an idea. If everyone likes sacred images, then that's another meeting point on which to build something by combining our styles. No one excluded, from the photographer(s) to the makeup artist(s), from me to those who create clothes or accessories. Everyone.
L: There are several albums in the gallery on your site. Can you tell us about "In a Day," "Hellraiser. "Cold Fairytales" and "Gothic Seaside"?
Q: "In a Day" is part of a project by the wonderful photographers who portrayed me, ReflexStudio. The gallery collects some of the shots taken on the same day (hence the name).
The photographers, Thomas and Chiara, enthusiastically proposed their project to me, and I had wanted to take pictures with a crown of thorns for years.
Years ago I would have chosen the splatter option; bloody and dirty. However, those photos represent a particular moment in my life; the choice of look was totally up to me, as each model posing with that crown is left to her own interpretation.
I will reveal mine when the project is finished. I recommend you take a look at the work of these photographers to get an idea of how big the project is with the crown.
Hellraiser is the happily obscure result of a collaboration that had been hoped for so many years. With photographer Ettone, and with the model I posed with, SaraMiao. A satisfying team effort.
Cold Fairytales is the revelation of talented MUAH Daniela Lecce and talented photographer Juliet Labdiën, who helped create incredible atmospheres. The dress, on the other hand, including the corset and feather collar, was created by Hekate. I owe the result entirely to them and their endless skills.
Gothic Seaside is a bit of a challenge. Of the clear goth look photos at the beach before, I had never taken them. But with THE.ORY anything is possible and we decided to go out anyway on the chosen day to take the photos, despite the fog. But it was a cold day, the light was not even the best, and the winter beaches, abandoned by everyone, became an interesting location. That set was the result of a cold and fun day.
L: In addition to the photos collected in the aforementioned albums, what are the most macabre ones you have taken? Could you describe them for us?
Q: In some of my early sets, I took several photos that featured me as a vampire protagonist with fake blood, pummeling my victims. Or just being creepy, without iris or pupils, or dying or dead looking. Curious is the project I participated in by photographer THE.ORY: a sequence of two photos where, dressed in a red coat, high shoes and lipstick, sunglasses and a smile, dressed "fashionably" with a large number of shopping bags, I talk on the phone going down the steps. The next shot depicts the same person ruinously lying on the steps, bags strewn about, phone dropped from her hands and a trickle of blood running down her nose. A very clean and disheveled death.
L: In your photo gallery I was also very impressed by the album "Memento Mori" clearly inspired by postmortem photos. What do you think of this photographic practice developed in the Victorian era?
Q: I love, and I say love, postmortem photographs. I have a collection of them saved from the Internet; I keep the best ones to look at later. They are real works of art. True, maybe they are a little macabre; but the beauty of these photographs lies a little bit in that. Some you look at them and you would never say that the person photographed is actually dead. It was, for some, the only way to have a memory of the loved one, or the "stillborn" baby. For some it was a goodbye, but always done with love and wanting to capture the last, really, moments together.
The most poignant are those of children who appear to be sleeping peacefully. Of family members who appear to be simply sitting. Of siblings holding hands in their final farewell. The postmortem photography is incredible.
A: You were also a beautiful Calavera-what do you think about death?
Q: Thank you; I love calaveras and after many years I was able to take those pictures with the help of Cunene and Alige Couture.
Death is a very difficult subject. Death often brings with it a lot of suffering, and I find that it is not necessarily related to fear.
It's about the absence of someone-or yourself; it depends on your culture, how you grew up, how you experienced it up to that point. But it's too personal and difficult a topic to talk about in this context.
L: What is your relationship with the occult?
Q: The occult and religions are a hot topic that, especially in my teenage years, interested me quite a bit. And they continue to do so; nothing is more fascinating than what you can't really know.
L: We understand that you are captivated by Lovecraft's literature. What do you like about his writings? Have you ever brought your passion for this author to the set? If so, in what ways?
Q: I brought it into some sets, with some symbolism for example, or atmospheres or details, often unnoticeable, that refer back to the characters in the stories.
Lovecraft was a discovery made as a child, and reread in adulthood, and reread again later. The life of this author is rather curious; so are the repeated and intertwined events of the stories curious. Verbs like "rasping, crawling, bubbling" have taken on a definite meaning.
I like Lovecraft and I love Cthulhu, which has always been (more or less) symbolic. So much so that I created, in his tribute, a cameo with a specially designed image of the Great Ancient One.
L: Tell us about your musical tastes? What are your favorite bands?
Q: I listen to classical music (Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Smetana undoubtedly among the favorites), chiptunes (i.e., video game music) and metal.
In metal I have a predilection for black, although I listen to a little bit of everything. I'm attached to the great classics and particular songs; I mention for example "Necrophiliac Anthropophagous Maniac" by Carpathian Forest, "Hybrid Stigmata" by Dimmu Borgir, "Bathory Aria" and "Beneath the Howling Stars" by Cradle of Filth, "MorningStar" by Cadacross, "Dainty Delusive Doll" by Enslavement of Beauty, "The Black Waltz" by Kalmah... and I'll add offhand "No warning shot" by Six Feet Under. Voila, you also have a playlist now.
L: Do you love horror cinema? Are there any films that have impressed you and still make a certain impression on you to see again?
Q: Actually, no. I don't watch horror movies. Although this can be seen as a demerit, let it be known that I would much rather read a book than see a movie. I have seen a few horror movies, and of all of them I can say that I prefer those that press more on the psychological side than the splatter. However, tastes are tastes and nothing equals a good, well-written book, in my mind I have a great fortune: that of having a vivid imagination and completely immersing myself in what I am reading by being guided by my emotions - by those that I myself create by reading certain words, without being guided by, for example, the music in the background or a certain type of framing. The film, in short, I make it myself.
L: Have you ever thought about lending yourself to a role in horror movies? Do you see yourself more as a serial killer or a Scream Queen?
Q: To be honest, some time ago it was proposed to me, but nothing ever came of it because I lived decidedly far away from the filming locations and it was not feasible at all. The choice of role is very dependent on the character; some people have pretty strong preferences for one or the other. I'm probably somewhere in between, and I really like the solutions that take both options. Why choose?
L: What are your future plans?
Q: I always have many, and always too many. But I think I will continue as I have done in recent years: constant growth and self-discovery.
L: Your opinion on this interview!
Q: Thank you for this opportunity. It was fun answering your questions!
L: Leave a message for this community!
Q: “Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn”
L: Thank you, Delilah!
