Hecate: goddess of witchcraft, guardian of journeys, and holder of the keys to the underworld. Myths describe her as being an expert of poisonous plants and necromancy. Hecate is often depicted holding torches and/or keys, as she is the only one who can unlock the gates to Tartarus and allow souls to pass between the realm of the living and the dead.
This was a fun infrared photo shoot with Chris Barbour. We weren’t sure how the materials would show up in infrared, so we had to do some test shots with all of my fabrics and various components before I started making the costume.
The headdress was made entirely of silk (actually, plastic) flowers that I picked up off the floor at Michaels (an art supply store popular here in San Diego). It took a few months of collecting two or three flowers on each visit, and I finally accumulated enough to make a whole headpiece out of them. (I always show the cashiers my harvest and ask if it’s alright to keep them, and they almost always say yes, if the manager is off duty.)
