Ophelia Wouldn’t

A red-haired woman by the water often brings to mind Shakespeare’s Ophelia — but this story takes another path entirely. Born out of long evenings of conversation over tapas in Seville, the series grew naturally on the last day of shooting with Kyra Olivia Murphy, our muse, captured through the lens of photographer Chloë Aillud.

Rather than fragility or tragedy, Kyra embodies presence, clarity, and a quiet defiance. The images drift away from old tropes of dependency and move towards something more grounded: strength as a matter of choice.

Shot in a retro, story-led style, Ophelia Wouldn’t is a gentle rebellion — about letting go without falling apart, and claiming one’s space without explanation. Writer Casey Joy later layered the story with words, bringing poetry to the already dreamlike images. Enjoy!

The name is Ophelia.
And I am this.
The water holds me.
I let it.
Surrender is a choice.
Resting, fully alive.
These fruits you see
are our heart’s desires;
I drop them freely.
A refusal to be consumed.
Spirit lingers,
Even as beauty dissolves.
What is grasped
slips away.
Nothing is ours.
We are impermanent.
And in that truth,
freedom.
You thought I was fragile.
A girl in the water.
But look closer:
Only reflection.
Only clarity.
Light worn like armour.
I do not drown.
I do not dim.
I let the light in.
Ophelia would not drown for anyone now.