Constructing the Shell

We often get questions about the Birth of Venus [After Botticelli] shell. Despite living in Chicago with lots of theaters and prop houses, we figured the search to find the perfect shell was more effort than just making one ourselves. At 9’x6′ it consumed my apartment’s dining room and brought with it a host of delightful and unexpected experiences.

Shooting Venus

After having scoped out our lakefront location weeks in advance, Niki, my friend Joe and I meet at the agreed upon location around 4:45 a.m. The sky still dark and the September air crisply in the 50s, we arrive at the beach only to discover a parking lot full of cars, a row of yellow school buses and scurrying people in the dark. More ›