Het Cluster B Effect

An absurdist fashion film that transforms a personal trauma into a visual cycling extravaganza.

This work is an absurd visualization that addresses the mental issues of a victim of a narcissistic parental relationship. Megan turns a personal story into something healing and humorous. Through storytelling she plays with aspects from her own life and elements from cycling clothing, for example. An obsessive way of life that used to revolve around cycling, something she can break free from now with this work. With knits, prints, extreme distortion and wearable bicycle parts, Megan absurdly shows the agony of the victim of a narcissistic relationship in moving images. “Nagem, a passionate young woman who is full of life. In her cycling paradise she gives love and puts in effort in order to achieve her goal. She will cycle several laps during a time trial on an indoor cycling track. During that journey, uncertainties play an increasingly important role, which visibly leads to frustration and anger.” A selection from the short fashion film. A film that will move you and offer a new perspective on narcissism. Where it works towards release through performance and extravagant outfits.

The fashion brings the film together and strikes a balance between aesthetics and storytelling.

Clothing plays an important role in every film. It makes or breaks a character, story or setting. The difference with fashion film is that it is often just about seeing fashion in motion. That's where Megan wants to change the fashion and film industry. There is a lot of story in fashion, which she wants to bring back to the foreground. The outfits are the basis for the film The Cluster B Effect. They built the story into a storyboard. She is looking for a new genre within film. Different starting points and techniques have been used in the outfits. Like the Beg For Me dress on which you see a custom print/patchwork with narcissistic slogans. In addition, in the Muscle Up outfit you will find influences from cyclists themselves, the absurdly large leg muscles alienated in a homemade knit with a torn top that refers to racing crashes. With this you not only achieve more awareness for the fashion and the design process that a designer goes through, but also more awareness for fashion itself and how we use it in daily life. It asks a question of how significant a wardrobe is and what it says about the person in question.

A work that addresses the mental problems of a victim of a narcissistic parent.

Megan is no stranger to working with taboos. In her work she confronts herself and her environment with personal traumas and discomforts. It is healing to be able to go through this process as a maker. In this work you can see how she experiences the consequences of her narcissistic parent. A sensitive subject that has not only happened to her, but many others. Through this work she wants to start the conversation, it also functions as a conversation opener. There is an aspect of absurdity and humor in the film and clothing, which she provides lightness to be able to put a heavy subject into perspective. In addition to opening the conversation, she also wants to inspire action on the part of the individual. She shows that having a narcissistic parent is not the end and you get to live your own life. With or without involving this person. Letting a parent go is taboo in our contemporary culture, yet it should be part of it. We live in a society that is increasingly self-oriented, a society in which we can lose ourselves in another. With this project Megan wants to bring more attention to each other, in which we can live together instead of alongside each other, without taboo.