There’s that scene in Terminator 2 where the new Terminator first begins to reform: globules of shining mercury come together and compound until a human shape is formed. I’ve never forgotten that scene because it was the first, and one of the few, times when special effects meant anything—it wasn’t just a movement that made you go “wow,” it was a fantastical interpretation that made you question fantasy. I thought of this moment again during Jeremy Laing’s A/W 2011 presentation: the ethereal made real; the conjunction of artistry and functionality.
