Tidebound

A kinetic still life, this short film was created to promote Pilar do Rio, a Lisbon-based designer who embraces slow fashion and incorporates natural and upcycled materials in her process.

Inspired by the baroque movement’s celebration of contrast, complexity and emotion, the film aims to channel its spirit through a contemporary lens. The term baroque is believed to stem from the Portuguese word barroco, meaning an irregular pearl, an echo of both the film’s aesthetic and Pilar do Rio’s design philosophy. The word was initially used pejoratively, as when this kind of art emerged it was considered excessive and overly ornate, compared to the simplicity and harmony of the Renaissance.

The necklace becomes a suspended artifact, adrift in a luminous, underwater realm. Its pearly materials, shimmering softly with natural iridescence, embody the imperfect beauty celebrated by the movement. Surrounding it, saturated water bubbles float like liquid gems, their vivid hues offering a playful contrast.

Together, they form a choreographed still life in motion, where material, movement, and mystery converge.