Othello campaign images

Photos and conceptual art direction for Othello.

I was asked to produce images for two upcoming shows of the Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory theatre company. Othello and Tartuffe are part of the same season by the same co-producing team, so the images needed to feel like they were of the same world, whilst reflecting individual elements of each show. Both needed to be classic, rich and sophisticated, whilst embracing the contemporary nature of the productions. The images had to be striking, stylish and simple with a human quality that would draw audiences in.

Director Richard Twyman discusses options with Abraham Popoola.

Othello is one of Shakespeare’s most startling contemporary plays and shows a life torn apart by racism and the destructive nature of prejudice. The director, Richard Twyman, highlights Othello’s Muslim identity in a unique way and was keen for this to come across in the image, which needed to communicate the overwhelming outside pressures on this man. Othello is both powerful and an outsider, a combination of greatness and weakness. To highlight this duality to Othello’s identity I proposed to use a double exposure effect. In the foreground Othello is strong and faces the camera head on, in the background he has his head in his hands, overwhelmed and weak.