If a pregnant Venus of Urbino broke into a neighborhood park at night and wore nothing but tulle and moonlight, then you’d get UV ’s (Marina Elderton) music video for “Summoning.” 

The video, directed by Philip James McGoldrick, depicts Elderton nearly nine months pregnant, elegantly swirling beneath a starless night. She spins in slow motion, like a wind-up ballerina escaped from the jewelry box. Almost voyeuristic, the viewer is the weary outsider, gazing at her glory from a peephole perspective. Elderton’s voice is lush and haunting, like the creaking of old floorboards, or the wind whipping against rose bushes. The audio was taken during her sold out headline show at St Pancreas Old Church earlier this summer. It is feral femininity at its finest. 

Previously fronting the band KULL and White Russia, UV is Marina Elderton’s solo project. 

Supported by the PRS Women Make Music Foundation, “Summon” comes from UV’s EP Defender released July 2019.

Where did the creative decision stem from restricting each image to a confined circle?

I really love the effect this has. It originated around the director Philip James McGoldrick’s idea of using a special lens to create an intimate focus, cutting out the surrounding details. In a way it’s not so much about seeing, but feeling the movement and textures within. The whole project revolves around the concept of life cycles too, with new life entering the world while old life leaves. The circular framing felt like a nice way of reflecting that, giving it an almost religious painterly quality.    

How do the short flashes of trees coincide with fertility and the female form? 

We broke into a local park at night to get those shots. It was quite creepy. I was nearly 9 months pregnant and thought, shit I’ve got to be ready to run in case there are any psychos are around! But it’s amazing how nature takes on a very ancient powerful quality at night. The trees could represent many things- I don’t want to over explain it- but to me they reflect timeless earth and new life. The venus fly trap also has something very erotic in it’s appearance. A kind of powerful female sexuality. It’s rich and inviting, but with a danger about it too. The whole experience of pregnancy was an empowering reminder of what the female form is capable of for me. Women are the gatekeepers of life and death if you think about it. Our bodies are mystical vessels for something beyond understanding. Of course we are not solely defined by our physical capabilities (I’m aware there could be a strong feminist argument arising here!), but I personally found it amazing to see what my body can do throughout pregnancy and labour. 

When watching this piece, the gentle movements and delicate sensuality reminded me of “Venus of Urbino.” Is there a specific art piece that inspired this video, or a piece that represents the shape shifting female form to you? 

That’s a very inspiring comparison! There wasn’t one specific piece, but there is definitely a renaissance influence in there. Growing up I felt noticeably different with pale skin and auburn hair, but when I was introduced to renaissance and pre raphelite paintings I suddenly saw women I could relate to. I actually wanted to do this because you rarely see pregnant women in modern visual imagery outside of clinical adverts for maternity products. I wanted to invite people to look in a different way and see how otherworldly the female body can be. 

Have you used nudity before in your music videos or art? What was it like using your body in such a vulnerable way on this video? 

It was definitely confronting, but I went into this knowing that I couldn’t hide anything. The project was intended to uncover the female form in all its truth, beyond commodified sexuality. So of course the nudity isn’t meant to arouse. We aren’t used to seeing nudity, but really it’s the most natural state any of us can be in. For decades women’s bodies have been used against them. We shouldn’t be afraid of the bodies we inhabit and the changes we go through as we age and grow. Perceptions of beauty are constantly evolving and yet people are still cutting their faces up to look more ‘proportionally appropriate’. I’ve learnt to embrace the physical things that I used to struggle with about myself. This project is my way of reclaiming that I guess. 

 The artwork for my debut EP ‘Defender’ also uses some nudity. I collaborated with the embroidery and collage artist Scott Ramsay Kyle, who normally embroiders images of gay porn in this amazingly intricate and beautiful way. There is something very tender in combing embroidery with nudity which I found interesting to explore for the EP artwork.   

How was your sold out show at St Pancreas Old Church? How did that setting influence the tracks subtle otherworldly and haunting tone? 

The St Pancras show felt really intimate and special. It was my first show with a full band so that was quite liberating. Finding the right band members is like finding your tribe, or a family of platonic lovers. I’ve learnt it’s more important that you share same energy and feeling over being virtuosos. But luckily these guys are also amazing players. My producer Knut Jonas Sellevold performed on guitar and piano and is one of those musicians who can translate any idea into an instrument within seconds. I was heavily pregnant at the time so couldn’t play guitar, but that gave me space to explore the physicality of my performance more too which was cool. I also worked with the costume designer Bronya Arciszewska for the show and wore a translucent dress so you could see the silhouette of my bump in the light. The visual aspect of performance is very important to me.   

 The a cappella track Summoning which features in the video is taken from a live recording of that show, so the acoustics are from the natural space. It definitely had a haunting quality there. The lyrics are inspired by my experience of seeing my mum pass away unexpectedly. While she was in hospital we could hear women giving birth in the floor above. That was really mystical. A humbling symbol of the cycles of life and death we are all subject to. The church setting and timing felt like a perfect way of reflecting that.