brad walls captures aerial ballet against utah’s expansive salt flats

‘swan lake meets salt lake’ in brad walls’s new aerial series

Intrigued by the dark and light sides of humanity, Brad Walls captures the elegant motions and poignant sentiments of Swan Lake against the vast and barren backdrop of the Salt Flats in Utah. The New York City Ballet has teamed up with the aerial photographer to produce this distinct aerial photographic series which sees Sasonah Huttenbach in motion from new perspectives. The chosen location, an expansive and glistening natural landscape, allowed Walls to use shadows creatively to evoke various emotions. As the photographer puts it, ‘Depending on your state of mind, your shadow could offer comfort or reflect a darker mood.’ 

all images by Brad Walls

a captivating exploration of humanity’s dark and light sides

The overarching objective of the project was to challenge the conventional norms of ballet photography, shifting the focus from the confines of the theatre to the boundless world outside. ‘While theatre ballet performances are undoubtedly breathtaking, there exists a captivating harmony between the natural wonders of our world and the art of Ballet — it’s a seamless fusion,’ Brad Walls notes.

The photographer sited his reimagining of Swan Lake at the Bonneville Salt Flats as a playful twist on the classic ballet. Further, Walls deliberately chose to work with a single dancer to portray both the Black and White swans, as he believed that using different dancers would diminish the poignant symmetrical struggle he aimed to convey through his photography. Raised between Tokyo and New York City, Sasonah Huttenbach immediately connected with Brad’s unique concept when he pitched the photoshoot idea. ‘The white and black swans depicted on the salt reflected my inner conflicts that I’ve grappled with throughout my journey as a Ballet dancer living between Japan and now the US,’ she recollects. 

In 2024, Walls intends to feature this series, along with other photoshoots from around the world, including the New York City Ballet, Australian Ballet, and English National Ballet in a coffee table book.

Brad Walls teams up with The New York City Ballet

Sasonah Huttenbach leads the dance of ‘Swan Lake meets Salt Lake’

Walls uses shadows of the natural landscape creatively to evoke various emotions

a single dancer portrays both the Black and White swans to depict a poignant symmetrical struggle

the project seeks to challenge the conventional norms of ballet photography

Brad Walls shifts the focus of the ballet the confines of the theatre to the boundless world outside

the series will be published in a coffee table book in 2024

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project info:

name: Swan Lake Meets Salt Lake

photographer: Brad Walls

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: ravail khan | designboom