Fashion & Fantasy | Part 23

Carrying on from last month’s piece that focused on the relationship between movement and film, this month I have looked for content in which sound and visuals are not competing against one another, and instead exist in a collaborative alchemy that results in a piece of film that sits somewhere between a music video, a short film, and a fashion film.
 

Shahmaran by Ghanaian director Emmanuel Adjei

We start off with Shahmaran, a music video by Ghanaian director Emmanuel Adjei for Dutch-Iranian artist, Sevdaliza. Simply calling it a music video wouldn’t do it justice, as this is a collaboration between two creatives using their own abilities to share a common message. As Adjei explained, Shahmaran is in fact a statement on how “most African American men are still born into an environment that limits their freedom. Drawn to the dream of having power and success they hold on to the image of a false like idea of autonomy and with it success.”

Koto Bolofo: Anthropologie

Next up is Koto Bolofo: Anthropologie, a video highlighting photographer Koto Bolofo's capsule collection for Anthropologie. Sound here is mostly wind—natural sound to reflect the settings of the video, as well as its imagery. The story of how this film came about is quite lovely. Having come across a stash of linen sheets in France, Bofono decided to give them a new life and work with a seamstress to upcycle the sheets. He then photographed the garments and put them away until Anthropologie reached out to Bofono to work on a creative project. This film, along with the a capsule collection and his accompanying book of photographs, are the result of his work.

Melanie De Biasio and photographer/director Jean-Baptiste Mondino

Here we have yet another music video that isn't just a music video. All My Worlds is in fact a collaboration between artist Melanie De Biasio and photographer/director Jean-Baptiste Mondino. What we are presented with is an emotional and evocative piece of content, a stunning amalgamation of sound and visuals. The focus here was to keep things as simple as possible. As Mondino explained: “Initially the idea was to make a video in the most simple and emotional way. Despite my having some doubts, Melanie convinced me that she didn’t want to sing, not even a single sentence and then we started to record and the very first shot conveyed the magic that was there as she already knew."

Jupiter's delight Directed by Jonas Vahl for Pantha du Prince

Directed by Jonas Vahl for Pantha du Prince, Jupiter's delight is an experimental music video addressing the concept of space. The film looks at distant yet connected spaces: switching between modern cities and epic Mongolian landscapes, we are faced with how these opposite worlds are somehow connected. The visuals tie into Pantha du Prince’s track effortlessly, exploring endlessness through the feeling of floating through space, in which pure romance meets the loneliness of emptiness.