Dorian Wood - "O" from Dorian Wood on Vimeo.
Queer artist Dorian Wood is back with a breathtaking new video for his track "O" from his latest album "Rattle Rattle."
Featuring Wood alongside performance artist Rafael Esparza and model Taryn Piana, this incredible video will captivate you and invoke a whole spectrum of emotions. Wood told The Huffington Post that he wanted the aesthetic of the video to capture both Beyonce and Lana Del Ray, featuring Wood in a feminized version of himself.
In order to better understand this video and Wood, The Huffington Post chatted with the artist to discuss his latest incredible endeavor.
The Huffington Post: Where did the inspiration for the video come from? I am a big admirer of Lana Del Rey and Beyonce. I love how both artists fearlessly explore their sensuality in a stylized, glamorized way, without ever being overly raunchy. I watch their videos and I fantasize of being like them. The video for "O" is a way of me fulfilling my fantasies in a similar fashion. As I instructed everyone involved in the video: I want to be Beyonce. I want to be Lana Del Rey. In the context of the song, which itself deals with a couple who fight and fail to make amends as the apocalypse takes place, the fantasy aspect is intensified. If one were faced with the end of one's existence, what dream would one fulfill? I believe the video accurately represents one very possible scenario for me.
Tell us a little bit about the performers in the video -- why and how did they become a part of the project? I have collaborated with Rafa Esparza on several performance pieces. He is like a brother to me, and he is also one of my greatest artistic inspirations. Every time we work together, we aim to push each other to breathe outside of our comfort zones, and this video was no exception. He is a beautiful man, and I felt there was an aesthetic cohesiveness to us as an onscreen couple. The intimacy we portrayed in the video was definitely a welcome challenge. Taryn Piana, who also served as my make-up artist for the video, is also a dear friend, and our views on sexuality and intimacy are perhaps more in sync. She is definitely one of the bravest souls I know. When Rafa and Taryn agreed to participate in the video, I was beyond thrilled.
What do you hope this video does to/for the viewer? This video is probably me at my most vulnerable. I'm exposing an aspect of my imagination that I've kept private for many years. This goes beyond me being comfortable with my own nude body. Anytime we are alone and we "play pretend", we do it with gusto because we know that no one will ever see us. And so, I think it's wonderful when people share their fantasies with the world, and I hope more people can feel comfortable doing so without the fear of being judged or ridiculed. To me, fantasies are the strongest extensions of the self. Everyone can be as pretty or as handsome as they want to be, because they already are.
Check out the incredible video above and head here for more information about Wood.
CORRECTION: The original version of this article identified "Rattle Rattle" as Wood's forthcoming album. It was released March 2013.