It began with a four-hour interview for a design job, and blossomed into a personal partnership and creative collaboration of over 30 years (and counting), reaping numerous awards including four Oscars for costume/set design.
1 Catherine Martin, 2001 (printed 2006) Douglas Kirkland. © Douglas Kirkland. 2 Baz Luhrmann, 1987 (printed 2012) Michele Aboud. © Michele Aboud.
The sparks first flew in the late 1980s. Recent National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) graduate, director Baz Luhrmann, was after creatives to join his new production team, while NIDA design student Catherine Martin was looking for work. ‘The profound romantic connection with her was both present and visceral for me from the beginning ... we were kind of inseparable’, Luhrmann recalled in 2014. The director’s exuberance meshed perfectly with Martin’s intense, imaginative vision – traits captured in these photographic portraits by Michele Aboud and Douglas Kirkland. The Australian Opera’s acclaimed La Bohème; beloved Australian cinema classic Strictly Ballroom; and international blockbusters Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge, and The Great Gatsby feature among the creative achievements of the luminous Luhrmann-Martin union.
