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Diana, Princess of Wales in Bellville Sassoon at the Victoria & Albert Museum
Source:Screenshot from IG user
User:Paul Bench (@paulbench)
Model: Diana, Princess of Wales wearing a gown by Bellville Sassoon at the Victoria & Albert Museum, November 4th, 1981
As I scrolled my Instagram feed, I came across a post with the picture of Diana, Princess of Wales, asleep...and a caption in remembrance of the moment captured decades ago. I halted my thumb to appreciate the picture and the notes written about her dress for the evening. It is a stunning gown, custom made by couturier Bellville Sassoon who often dressed the Princess. It is delicate and ethereal, glowing with pastel colors and dazzling diamonds.
Photographed in it, Diana, alone in her chair fell asleep at a gala. This moment was a social news craze, as she is a beloved public figure. The speculation surrounding her state-of-being were discussed and publicized.
This moment, consumed in adoration by her fans, shows a picture of a exhausted Princess, spent by her royal duties. 40 years later, shows a troubled Princess and her tragic story.
Social Media as a time capsule
Our virtual world holds a history of events, trivial to significant. Social media allows the user to shepherd these events and share them at will. This image from pre-internet history has been incorporated into the digital world and offered to a new audience. As a painter, I am attempting to take these digital images and offer them to the 3D world, so we may stop and look at them.