Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Mark MacKillop in Rm. XIV


One morning last spring, I got up and did what I do most mornings. After checking my phone, shoving down my Oatmeal and banana and dealing with the menagerie, I sat down with my computer to check my e-mail and facebook. On that particular morning I was wonderfully welcomed into the day by the incredible image above of actor, dancer and model Mark MacKillop.


'Surprisingly, traveling with 30 cast members and a 30-piece orchestra left me feeling, at times, incredibly isolated and lonely.'


I had to save the image. With his background in dance, Mark is able to glide into the most beautiful and elegant poses. This image in particular, with the natural light from the window behind glistening over his incredible body had me virtually joining him, if only for a brief moment of fantasy, in Rm. XIV. I have been following Mark's career, as both a model and actor, on FH since 2009 and this self-portrait was without a doubt one of my favorite images of hm.


Over the next few months, Mark continued to share similar images. Mark was on an international tour of West Side Story, playing Riff. The musical took him to major cites across Europe and Israel. Each town or city, meant a new temporary home, a hotel room to both decompress and re-energize in between performances. Rather than a written diary, MacKillop chronicled his downtime with an iPhone camera, taking over 80 high-quality, expertly composed black-and-white/color self-portraits in various hotel rooms (and very little clothing).


The response from friends, fans and followers was overwhelming and they were united in wanting to see more! Mark eventually decided to publish a coffee table book, where the entirety of his portraiture could find a tangible home. Entitled “Rm. XIV,” the collection will host an introduction by Broadway performer, pop singer, film and television actor Billy Porter, winner of the 2013 Tony Award® for Best Actor in a Musical for his star turn as Lola in Kinky Boots. And a foreword by renowned New York artist Robert W. Richards, who in May completed a curation of 20th-Century erotic illustrations at Manhattan’s Leslie-Lohman Museum.


A portion of the proceeds from each book are being donated to Broadway Cares Equity Fights Aids. For information about this amazing organization visit broadwaycares.org

You too can join Mark in Rm. XIV by checking out his site and pre-ordering your own copy HERE:

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