Geri Halliwell as Barbarella in Soulla Petrou’s early shoot

Soulla Petrou trained in fashion before switching to photography, and in 1994 she turned her attention to music and people. A commission from the music magazine Touch to photograph drum’n’bass DJ General Levy ended up on the cover and led to work with DJ Mag; she also photographed clubbers at London’s Ministry of Sound, where one striking figure later proved to be Goldie.

A stylist friend introduced Petrou to a young Geri Halliwell for a shoot at her house. The concept drew on 1960s and 70s TV and film heroines — Wonder Woman, Charlie’s Angels and, for this image, Jane Fonda’s Barbarella, with outfits evoking Paco Rabanne. Most shots were made against a large white wall nearby; Petrou shot on E6 slide film and cross-processed it in colour negative chemicals to produce a supersaturated, grainy quality that kept the pictures from looking too "real".

The sessions were collaborative, free from PR interference, and often involved people at the start of their careers.

United Kingdom, London

soulla petrou, geri halliwell, barbarella, jane fonda, paco rabanne, general levy, drum'n'bass, dj mag, e6 slide, cross processing