Branded Babies, Real and Silicone, by Dietrich Wegner.

above image composite by laura sweet

Australian born artist Dietrich Wagner's Cumulous Brand is a series of sculptures and photos in which babies (real and silicone models) are covered in multicolored tattoos in a meditation on how our identities evolve and how we declare them.

Sculptures:
Cumulous Brand
silicone & foam, 14 x 12 x 7 in


Cumulous Brand, Sebastian As Grandma Susan
silicone, human hair, glass eyes & foam, 17 x 15 x 10 in



Cumulous Brand, Bill
silicone & urethane, 12" x 8" x 8"



Clay modeling or the above sculptures was created by Julia Ambrose of Toolmark Studio and Barbara Wegner

In the following photos, the initial child photography is by Mark Fainstein and the 'tattoos' are digitally applied by Dietrich Wegner.

Digitally Altered Photos (inket prints):
Cumulous Brand, Sabine & Sebastian,
inkjet print 30" x 45" & 40" x 60"


Cumulous Brand, Sabine Sitting Up
inkjet print, 30" x 45" & 40" x 60"


Cumulous Brand, Sebastian as Grandma Sue
inkjet print, 30" x 45" & 40" x 60"


Cumulous Brand, Sebastian as Auntie Gretchen
inkjet print, 30" x 45" & 40" x 60"


Cumulous Brand, Claudia, Beatrice & Sebastian
inkjet print, 30" x 37" & 40" x 50"


Cumulous Brand, Beatrice
inkjet print, 30" x 45" & 40" x 60"


Cumulous Brand, Sebastian in the Park
inkjet print, 25" x 17" & 44" x 30"

all images courtesy of Dietrich Wegner
Deitrich Wegner has other interesting art projects as well, see them all here.

A big shout out to Inhabitots for bringing this unusual work to my attention

This is not the first tattooed baby art project I've blogged about. Be sure to check out the Drill Baby by Jason Clay Lewis:

Winter Magic. Spellbinding Photographs by Per Breiehagen For Italian Children's Brand Chicco.

I came across these stunning winter landscapes by photographer Per Breiehagen and discovered that they began as a personal project and blossomed into an international ad campaign.




In 2007 Breiehagen photographed his three year old daughter Anja, styled by his wife Lori Evert, as a traditional Nordic elf near his home in Minnesota. The images expertly and magically captured the holiday spirit for his personal Christmas cards.




Encouraged by the feedback, Breiehagen embarked on a much larger project. Born and raised in Norway, his childhood had centered around the fairytales and lore that are rich in Norwegian culture. Stories of elves, trolls and other creatures have inspired his narratives, instilling a sense of magic and mystery in his imagery. “Growing up in a storytelling tradition, these mental images would always be there and certainly influenced my creativity,” he says.





The first round of images went to Getty Images to be used as stock photography. Within a year, the elf girl series had been picked up by agencies in South America, Northern Europe and Asia for a variety of advertising and editorial campaigns, including AT&T. In 2010 ad agency McCann Erickson used the images for Italian baby brand Chicco's holiday campaign.




This year, Breiehagen has worked again with McCann Erickson to shoot his daughter Anja in an exclusive set of images for the 2011 Chicco brand holiday campaign, making the sweet little elf in the red cap the icon for the brand.


above: One of the images as used on Chicco's website.

The images can be seen on billboards, on television, in print and on their web site throughout this holiday season.














Breiehagen and wife Evert are now actively on the hunt for a publisher to create a Christmas book featuring these images. Anja is getting older but Breiehagen hopes her legacy as the little elf girl will continue to represent a timeless holiday spirit.

I have chosen my favorites from his Winter Magic Series to place in this post, to see all the shots, visit Per Breiehagen's site.

To learn more about the props, styling and digital compositing for these beautiful images, read Jacqui Palumbo's detailed article on this project for PDN, here.

all images courtesy of Per Breiehagen