Q: The detail in these photographs is so elaborate. How do you put together these bright narrative scenes?
A: First I find my victim. It is always a friend of mine; I never work with professional models. Each of the characters is defined by the little world she inhabits, so I usually take my color palette from the product that consumes her. I start putting aside everything I have in those colors. I’m not selective at first, I just start filling my studio with all the stuff I have, or I find, or my friend has that might work. I find the clothes the same way and I start this growing pile of orange and brown, or pink, or rainbow colored clothing.
Q: Even though these photos are lighthearted, there’s something really transfixing. Why are we fascinated by the tragic deaths of glamorous, young, beautiful women?
A: I think that death is very seductive. It makes us appreciate the beauty in all that is ephemeral. I think Baudrillard said we seduce with our weakness. When are we frailer than in the moment when we are losing our lives?
Daniela Edburg is a Mexican photographer who specializes in photos depicting death by excess, in which beautiful women are pursued, grappled or killed by their pleasures. Edburg's work features Death by Oreos, Death by Cotton Candy, even Death by Shampoo or Tupperware... many of the deaths heavily inspired by classic monster movies.
