A dreamlike glimpse of pregnancy in motion

Soft Prominence is a deeply intimate, 2 min 55 sec, 16:9 ratio, seamless loop in 8K, in which a slow, graceful pregnant figure is repeated twelve times across the screen, in shades of blue against black. The out-of-focus, overlapping forms make the body feel at once individual and collective. Original soundtrack by Mix Amylo.

“When I look at myself in the video, I see a beautiful young woman literally bursting with life. Her body is a marvellous conduit for her experience of life. This is still true and I still dance naked.” – Zoe Slade, performer.

As I revisited this visual treasure in October 2025, which I originally shot back in 2012, I was struck again by the natural grace, mystery and power of the pregnant body in motion. So I brought it back to life, carefully crafting it into a new video artwork, layered and rich with meaning.

The Sound of Inner Worlds

For sound, I reached out to the wonderfully sensitive composer Mix Amylo, whose sonic touch has always struck a chord in my heart. Her response to the video was immediate and visceral – she tapped into its dreamlike state and created a soundscape that is utterly transporting.

“I wanted to create a soundscape that was hypnotic, otherworldly… Vocal humming, heightened breathing, deep pulses that evoke heartbeat and bass drum, alongside short piano phrases and strange synth sounds – linking the inner and outer.” – Mix Amylo

The result is a mesmerising score that enhances every breath, every movement. It doesn’t just accompany the video — it breathes with it.

Veiled power

Shot against a large window in natural light, Zoe moves with reverence and instinct, her silhouette glowing in soft focus. I made deliberate choices to obscure and reveal – concealing full nudity while allowing gentle flashes of her beautiful, heavily pregnant form to surface through the haze.

“I haven’t again experienced anything like that feeling of utter, delicious abandonment to a physical, predestined process. That was what I was feeling when I was dancing naked for Emma.” – Zoe Slade

Pregnancy is so often hidden behind closed doors, shrouded in oversized clothes or privacy. Soft Prominence offers a rare view – one of strength, serenity and sensitivity. It’s not voyeuristic. It’s tender, honest and reverent. The pregnant form becomes abstracted yet unmistakable, like sculpture in motion.

Collect the stills

Video stills from Soft Prominence are available as aluminium prints – a vivid and lasting way to bring a moment of this video art into your home. Sizes start at 150€ + p&p for 60 x 30 cm (max width 122cm).

Aluminium prints are waterproof, fade-resistant, and full of rich tone and detail – perfect for both contemporary homes and outdoor display.

Soft Prominence is more than a video – it’s an invitation to slow down, to witness, to remember the power of transformation held in the human body.

If you’d like to exhibit this piece, collaborate on an installation or purchase a still, get in touch with me here.

A gallery installation experience

This video was envisioned as a floor-to-ceiling projection in a darkened gallery space, where you can feel the full immersion of the audio and visual experience. Available for loan or exhibition.

Instructions: Right click in the video player. Click “Loop” and this version of the video will repeat continuously. (This is a seamless loop of the video without credits.)

Contact me if you would like to use this video for any type of public performance.

“It is such a beautiful piece. I like the breathing in the music and how the figures seem to pass on things to each other, honestly it is stunning.” – Zoe Slade

The original 20-minute dance sequence was spliced into twelve flowing layers that drift, overlap and weave together like a community of soft, sentient forms. At times they interact – a brush, a crossing of paths, a belly-to-belly moment – like a wordless conversation among friends.

The cyan-blue aesthetic nods to the cyanotype print triptych I originally made from the shoot, though now the piece is alive with movement, resting on a black background that adds depth and mood.

Composer Mix Amylo

Mix Amylo – musician, composer, artist, singer-songwriter and writer

Mix has written, recorded and produced eight solo albums to date, and four collaborative albums, and has written and published two books of solo piano music, Piano Mixture and Spanish Piano Mixture. She has also composed and recorded music for short art films and poetry.

Currently she is working on an ambient production music album and a piano and strings album which will be out on all platforms soon.

Website: https://www.mixamylo.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mixamylo/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6MGuNeSkZFksTz3LGErQJN

The Collaboration

Mix and I met through the vibrant art scene in Órgiva, southern Spain. Her multidisciplinary practice spans music, writing, composing, performance and producing. She’s worked with Groove Armada, Pee Wee Ellis, Fred Wesley and countless Spanish acts and she’s the founder of the Artmixture Collective, where this piece also finds a home.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@artmixturecollective
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artmixturecollective/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artmixturecollective