PROJECT Drowning Light
DESIGN & CREATIVE DIRECTION Jmeel Allen
PHOTOGRAPHY & FILM Rhys Frampton DANCE & CHOREOGRAPHY Matthew Ball

Drowning Light is a collaborative reimagining of the myth of Icarus by fashion photographer Rhys Frampton, Royal Ballet principal Matthew Ball, and music producer Guy Chambers.

A light-touch, type-led identity was developed to create cohesion across the film, exhibition, and book. Centred on two typefaces from 205TF, it is led by CX80 was chosen for its dramatic, wing-like chiselled serif, echoing the angular chiaroscuro forms of Matthew’s body and choreography. The book’s layout and sequencing draw on a three-act structure mirroring the Icarus arc and Matthew’s movement, creating a sense of rhythm and progression across pages. A burnt orange cover, featuring a negative print of Matthew nods to the visual language of ancient Greek black-figure pottery.

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