Campaign & Branding - "Originally Gods"

Abstract:

"Originally Gods" is an art project that aims to revive old mythological stories in a contemporary context. The goal is to revive old forgotten myths with the help of graphic design, photography, costumes and collage. The first story will be narrating the beautiful myth of Adonis & Ashtarout in a series of 12 frames.

The final Outcome:

• Costumes
• Postcards along with their packaging
• Website
• Promotional Poster
• Catalogue/book

The Myth:

Around 600B.C, there was a breathtaking princess called Myrrha, she was the daughter of the powerful King Cinyras of Cyprus. Myrrha tricked her father into fornicating with her and became pregnant. The king became furious and tried to kill his daughter, but she fled the country and came to Lebanon.

Myrrha begged the gods for help, thus they turned her into a beautiful Myrrh tree.

Although she was turned into a tree and abandoned her human feelings, she would still mourn her fate and tears would run down those branches which are known today as Myrhh.

Nine months later, the tree cracked open and delivered a magnificent baby boy named Adonis.

Ashtarout, the alluring goddess of love, fell in love with the boy as he was of true beauty. She sheltered him as a newborn then gave him to Persephone, the goddess of the underworld, who also fell in love with him.

Years later, Ashtarout came to claim Adonis, but Persephone wouldn’t let him go.

Zeus, the father of the gods solved this dispute by ordering Adonis to spend one third of the year with Persephone, another third with Ashtarout and the rest by himself. Adonis decided to spend one third with Persephone and two thirds with Ashtarout.
The baby boy grew up and made hunting his passion.

Ashtarout was in love with him, but he didn’t pay much attention to her. She was worried he would get killed while hunting in Nahr Brahim (Abraham River).

She warned him many times of the dangers of wild animals and asked him to stay away from boars, but Adonis never listened.

One day, Adonis was trying to hunt a boar but missed it, thus the creature ran towards the huntsman and attacked him. The boar was said to be Ares the God of war who was jealous of Ashtarout’s love for Adonis.

Ashtarout was flying in her elegant swan chariot when suddenly, she heard the cries and moans of her lover in pain. Ashtarout descended to earth to find her love lying in a pond of his blood.

The mourning goddess of love held the victim in her arms and sprinkled his blood with her nectar. At that moment, sprung the beautiful Anemone flowers that blossom only once a year in memory of the deceased lover Adonis.

After death, Adonis went to the Underworld and asked Persephone to allow him to spend half the year in the upper world, next to his love Ashtarout thus relating into myth the annual reawakening of nature in spring.

Pre-Production study including: Abstract, Proposal, Target audience, Practical Findings, Deliverables...