PES Sells Jewelry With Surreal, Morbid ‘Black Gold’

Leave it to PES, the whiz of the very-short short, to use the visual of a decomposing woman being colonized by insects as a way to sell earrings and brooches. His latest stop motion film, Black Gold, was commissioned by Italian online fashion retailer Yoox to announce a partnership with jewelry designer Delfina Delettrez.

PES was given free rein to produce whatever he wanted as long as it incorporated Delettrez’ insect jewelry. “I wanted to create a surrealistic short film along the lines of a Dalí or Buñuel, the influence of which can be felt strongly in Delfina’s own jewelry,” he said. The film, with its evocation of memento mori, lends itself to different readings—is it a statement on decadence or the elegance of decay?—and as far as commercials go, the effect is sublime.

CREDITS
Written and Directed by PES
Produced by Frenesy Films, Milan
Animated by Dillon Markey
Original Score by Jeremy Turner
Fabrication/Production Studio: SCPS
Sound Design by PES
Final Audio Mix: Josh Marcy, Mophonics