Press play on Melitta Baumeister's latest Reels and sound hits before clothing does. The voice behind the mix of screams, laughs and growls belongs to Jana Jacuka, a Latvian choreographer and performer who treats voice as a choreographic tool. The video series, created by Pēteris Vīksna and Michal Plata, draws inspiration from her work and foregrounds her raw vocal performance. Where most fashion films rely on music or ambient noise to set mood, this one lets the human voice do all the work. The clothes come second.
Jacuka wears Baumeister's surreal silhouettes on screen. An orange dress wraps the torso and builds exaggerated shoulders; a black knit pulls limbs into distorted proportions. The garments already look like stage props for performance, and Jacuka's voice holds equal weight in the frame. She screams, breathes heavily, bursts into laughter. All of it is choreographed.
There is no narration, no background track. Only Jacuka's voice, her movement, and the motion of the clothes. The series reads less as fashion film and more as performance art. Sound registers first, clothing follows. The order is reversed, but the clothes stay longer in memory because of it.
Melitta Baumeister has spent recent seasons dismantling and reassembling the body's proportions. This Reels series extends that project while introducing a new priority: sound before sight. Jacuka's voice takes on as much form as the garments themselves. It's rare for a fashion film to leave sound this legible.
Have you ever experienced fashion by hearing it first? If Jacuka's voice stays with you longer than the clothing, the series has already done its job.
Jacuka wears Baumeister's surreal silhouettes on screen. An orange dress wraps the torso and builds exaggerated shoulders; a black knit pulls limbs into distorted proportions. The garments already look like stage props for performance, and Jacuka's voice holds equal weight in the frame. She screams, breathes heavily, bursts into laughter. All of it is choreographed.
There is no narration, no background track. Only Jacuka's voice, her movement, and the motion of the clothes. The series reads less as fashion film and more as performance art. Sound registers first, clothing follows. The order is reversed, but the clothes stay longer in memory because of it.
Melitta Baumeister has spent recent seasons dismantling and reassembling the body's proportions. This Reels series extends that project while introducing a new priority: sound before sight. Jacuka's voice takes on as much form as the garments themselves. It's rare for a fashion film to leave sound this legible.
Have you ever experienced fashion by hearing it first? If Jacuka's voice stays with you longer than the clothing, the series has already done its job.
FAQ
Who appeared in Melita Baumeister's recent Reels series?
Latvian choreographer and performer Jana Jacuka appeared in the series. Known for using voice as a choreographic tool, the video series was created by Peteris Viksna and Michał Plata, drawing inspiration from her work.
What are the characteristics of Melita Baumeister's fashion film?
It contains no conventional background music or narration—only Jana Jacuka's raw vocalizations: screams, laughter, and breath. Sound imprints before clothing does, making it feel closer to performance art than a traditional fashion film.
What kind of work does Jana Jacuka do?
A Latvian choreographer and performer, she uses voice as a choreographic tool. In Melita Baumeister's recent Reels series, her vocalizations and movements fill the frame with equal weight to the clothing itself.
