Over 200 Artists Came Together To Recreate One of TV’s Biggest Moments of 2022
Yes to ALL of this.
Last year the quiet workplace romantic comedy about pirates, Our Flag Means Death, blew up overnight following the release of its ninth episode. (A near-identical word-of-mouth phenomenon occurred almost exactly a year earlier, when Invincible season 1 ended.) This infatuation wasn’t part of a steep incline leading up to a finale. Instead, OFMD‘s popularity rapidly spread online and off mostly based on news that this show was not queerbaiting its audience.
Spoilers ahead for season 1 of Our Flag Means Death
Instead of relegating the obvious tension between the two male leads to fan-fiction and art, David Jenkins let the relationship between Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) and Edward “Blackbeard” Teach (Taika Waititi) play out in what will probably be considered one of the most memorable and sweetest kisses in TV history.
In just the first season, this—along with other queer moments in Our Flag Means Death—have inspired enough fan art to last a decade. Beyond the scores of individual projects, there are dozens of large-scale collaborations between writers and artists. Humbled by the incredible support, the cast and crew oftentimes show love and enthusiasm for the creations, big and small. The latest manifestation of this love for Our Flag Means Death and the crew behind it came in the form of this recreation of the 41 seconds that inspired many people flock to (what was then) HBO Max.
Our Frames Mean Love
Organized by Cait and Em, Our Frames Mean Love gathered 256 artists from various mediums to recreate the kiss between Stede and Ed across 310 frames. The website states:
Each frame is a work of art and a labor of love by a single artist, and when all frames are put together in order they form a full animation of the kiss.
Below I’ve selected just some of my faves to share courtesy of the artists and project organizers. It was difficult to decide in general without artist statements, but also because Our Frames Mean Love reminds me of many of my other favorite projects of the last few years—including fan projects like Shrek Retold and major feature films like Everything Everywhere All at Once. Speaking of Shrek and EEAAO, not all depictions are humanistic! Browsing the frame gallery, I caught ogres, rocks with googly eyes, Legos, and at least two pairs of cats.
With 310 frames to animate, some artists doubled up, with Em contributing to frame 19. In addition to digital illustrations, the project includes traditional mediums like various paints, embroidery, and collage still-lifes. There are even contemporary, underappreciated media formats—like Perler bead art!
On the official Our Frames Mean Love project website, the two wrote:
This project is a love letter to everyone who has made this show possible: the writers, crew, cast, and of course, David Jenkins himself. Our Frames Mean Love is a gift to express our appreciation to this momentous show, whose humor and storytelling has made us all feel a little.
Instead of swiftly pausing the animation, you can view the 310 frames individually on the Our Frames Mean Love website. Cait and Em also made a slowed-down version and collected info from the artists on a public spreadsheet which includes each artist’s social media page, Kofi’s, and storefront. So if you like a style or even a particular frame in some cases, you can contact and support these artists!
(featured image: HBO)
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