My Heart Will Go On VHS (Titanic) by Mark Davies

Ok, so who hasn’t cried whilst watching the movie Titanic? Whilst you’re holding the truth stick, here’s another one for you, how many times will you admit to watching it?! The most I have heard is double figures! Celine has a lot to answer for too, that song still gets me. Do you remember when they first laid audio clips from the film over ‘My Heart Will Go On’? Even with it being played on loop on the local radio station, it got me every time. Whoever decided to start dubbing the instrumental version over clips of Leeds United clinching promotion has a lot to answer for!

The real-life events of the disaster has always struck a chord with me since school days, it is hard to choose the right word to describe it given the unimaginable loss involved but your mind was full trying to comprehend the events of that voyage. The movie is a truly stunning depiction and is one of the all-time greats, a movie that I have wanted to take on for many a year. I have had so many thoughts as to possible directions that I could take the piece, some much darker than others but maybe that is best suited to a commissioned piece. I wanted to create a piece of art that was really different, that focused on the love story and fortitude, whilst not forgetting the tragedy. For a movie to be adored by so many, I needed to deliver an image that would suit a wide audience and one that would look beautiful on a wall. I knew I could make the iconic scene of the sinking look stunning, but would that be right for your typical home setting? I can also see legs (almost a pun!) in a beautiful scene that focused on the grand staircase. With every piece, there is always so many possible directions and for this one I have gone with my incredibly popular VHS format as it allows you to create a striking image that is sized perfectly.

Ok, so not only was Jack a handsome little shit, he was also a bloody talent with his pencil, and I’m not referring to his back seat antics! His sketching experience with the beautiful English Rose must have been incredible, at least he wasn’t short of options to rest his sketchbook on! My experiences of life drawing classes were very, very different. Stinking rooms that were so hot from the heater to not just keep the fossilised model warm but alive! How could I possibly get the anatomical proportions right when I’m staring at the worst case of ‘long bollock’ that my innocent eyes had ever seen?!

Joking aside, what a wonderfully intimate and powerful scene that was, the movie not mine! For someone that has a phobia of jewellery, I loved the stunning ‘Heart of the Ocean’ necklace that Rose wore, to then see how it played such a special role in the narrative was really something. I have created a beautiful version in my piece that features Jack and Rose in their iconic pose. If you look closely, you can see water droplets cascading off the diamonds to suggest that it is rising back from the ocean floor, nothing is gone forever. The rose that drifts in the tranquil water is a detail that I really love whilst seeing how the ship works so successfully is a relief as it took so long to play around with how it could feature without distracting, it has an enchanting ghost-like quality that I feel is perfect.

Keep your memories close, never let go.

MARK DAVIES