“The Siren Sisters come from a world, unlike anything we all know. It’s a spot each underwater and on one other planet, where gravity works in a different way and the sky is a deep shade of silver. There are creatures with huge eyes and plants that shimmer,” says Odie Senesh. “The sisters grew up and were trained from a young age to utilise their appearance to speak their desires and intentions. Once they by accident found themselves in our world, they were fascinated by unfamiliar things. They enjoyed fooling around with all the things and everybody they met.” 

That is the story behind Senesh and Miriam Marlene Waldner’s latest series of photographs, which follow two enigmatic sisters who mistakenly land on Earth and find themselves disorientated and wandering the streets of LA. To create the look of the aliens, art director and producer Senesh was inspired by the experimental style and spirit of Niohuru X, who starred within the shoot in addition to heading up make-up. Other influences included monochromatic moths, the transparency of glass catfish, and the ghostly energy of Thanatos – the traditional Greek god of death and brother of Hypnos, the god of sleep. 

“Our goal was to push the boundaries of traditional beauty and transport viewers right into a surreal and dreamlike world,” says Senesh. By combining the futuristic make-up looks by Niohuru X with Waldner’s romantic aesthetic and film camera style, the pictures remain grounded and tangible, at the same time as the sisters appear like they’ve just arrived on this planet. “The result’s a fascinating and unsettling visual experience that blurs the road between reality and fantasy.”

The wonder itself combines goth, drag, futuristic and demonic influences to create something otherworldly. Textured and three-dimensional, pearly gems spread across the faces of the aliens to form celestial shapes while colored contacts create an eerie feeling. “I actually have all the time been inspired by Chinese mythology,” says Niohuru X. “Sirens in Chinese Mythology are very poetic romantic beings. “怕会有鲛人在岸，对月流珠” is one in every of my favourite lines from the poet 郭沫若. The looks I did were inspired by what this poetry made me feel: a tragic misty, and ethereal feeling of distance and vastness.”

The previous couple of years have seen a growing fascination with alienesque beauty, as trendsetters like Fecal Matter, Niohuru X and Ninocence push the boundaries of self-exploration, expression and wonder to challenge norms. Senesh also points to technological advancements around AI and IG filters, in addition to developments with cosmetic surgery and body modifications, as being behind the otherworldly look. It’s an aesthetic which can only proceed to grow, as our travels in outer space increasingly influence the wonder sphere.

“Siren Sisters is an ideal example of my idea of the following super trend in beauty,” says Niohuru X, who likes to mix SFX make-up and traditional glam for a glance she calls ‘twisted beauty’. “I desired to create looks which are edgy, unique and unconventional but at the identical time still flattering to the attention and likewise enhance models’ features.” As she looks to the longer term, Senesh is most excited by the growing trend of surrealism, absurdity and mixed media in beauty. “The world of visuals calls for growth. I’m excited to see where this movement takes us, and the way it influences me and other creatives to confide in latest realms of free creation and pluralism.”