Photographer Malie Mason
Fashion Patty Basil
Words Cat Evans
Casting Michaela Mahoney
Reaching for the galaxy and grasping at stardust, a new constellation is being constructed between delicate fingertips. Shining and spinning in this technicolour dreamscape is actor and filmmaker Shayne Pax, floating timelessly on a wingless night in Los Angeles.
In his latest endeavour Peridot, Shayne takes on the leading role of Gabriel, a young male prostitute working on Skid Row. Releasing on Amazon Prime this week, the story follows Gabriel as he forms an unlikely friendship with a world-renowned author and the pair's lives become fiercely connected.
To celebrate this release, he collaborates with photographer Malie Mason, who captures the actor on VHS paying homage to the 1970s work of legendary artist James Bidgood. In an unmistakable mirroring of narratives, Malie takes inspiration from Bidgood's arthouse cult classic Pink Narcissus which visualises the erotic fantasies of a gay male prostitute. For this fashion film, the pair move in time with one another to create a reality where innocence and sensuality seamlessly intertwine.
Against the backdrop of California’s Madonna Inn, time seems to have disappeared. Laying atop the soft sheets of an unmade bed, Shayne plays the waiting game. Waiting, wishing, wanting ... for a dream, for a lover, or maybe a slice of both. There are only so many hours in the night before the sun begins to rise, but he looks to the skyline of the glimmering city and sings out, basking in the magic of what could arise in the hours to come.
The darkness is beckoning a pair of star-crossed lovers, Shayne climbs two steps at a time and dances along the porcelain surface of the full moon beneath his feet. Cheek to cheek, fingers intertwining, the two lovers sway softly as they’re transported to another dimension. Nothing can reach us here, we are timeless.
'Peridot' airs on Amazon Prime on 16th December, 2022. Also available On-Demand on PeccadilloPOD, iTunes, Google, and Rakuten.
