FOXGERHARD Art Work

Extract from the book Fusion 'From rusted flesh to bark and bone' by Paul Gerrard (ISBN 978-1-84753-272-5)
Text reproduced by permission of the author.

'Machine, Man Or Fox? Here's a character that simply screams uneasy. He's the concept for the 'public face' of the band FoxGerhard; it's very hard to categorize their music, it's lies somewhere between Industrail and Horror and has been described as 'A dark Kubrick film soundtrack'.

The character is one of a war torn disillusioned veteran of many a pointless and bloody campaign; we don't know what parts of him are artificial and what part are organic, is the armour part of his structure? The head, is it a mask, a cybernetic implant or a mix of both?

Considering the style of the music and art direction I knew instantly what to aim for, I wanted images that almost make the viwer feel like they are looking at something seen as taboo. The last retinal scan of a dying emeny or a still from a rusty old camera, we capture a glimse of something we aren't meant to see. Like extreme images of pornography, torture, fetish and death that are underground in a crumbling society. Still there for those who pursue it, but still uneasy, a taboo and dangerous to find.

I tried many variations in colour, style and focus but it is the stark nature of black and white, the gritty realism that I feel adds the extra sense of danger to the character. For myself it was a fun character to work with, one that is very recognisable and open to so many possibilities.'