The relationship between Nick Knight and Martine Sitbon is a long-standing and harmonious one – a balance of creative flow that has produced much memorable work over the years, including the iconic cherry-lipped cover image of A#5. Inside the magazine are several beautiful contributions from Nick, including this ethereal fashion shoot of porcelain beauty Kirsten Owen, static in statuesque poses – doll-like as she clasps a white rabbit to her bosom or plays with floating bubbles. In a Martine Sitbon corset that reaches high at the neck, Kirsten seems ready for a performance, a magician’s assistant perhaps? The shoot is inspired by the film ‘An Angel At My Table’ a dramatisation of the life of psychiatrically-troubled New Zealand author Janet Frame.

The serendipitous nature of this shoot being in A#5 is revealed by Martine in the accompanying text, as she mentions Nick held onto the colour film images from the original 1991 production for over a decade until when this title began production in 2007.

“The series had been shot in colour to obtain as much nuance as possible before moving on to the highly saturated black and white achieved by Nick. I was only familiar with those shots. When we contacted Nick for A Magazine, they reappeared by magic, Nick had held onto them ever since. Their hues possess the coloured patina of 18th century paintings. To me, these images seem completely new and enchanting.”