17. A film set to music
Unexpected collaboration creates powerful art.
suggested reading method
To best savour this artwork, please take a moment to eliminate distractions. Consider minimizing all other windows on your computer; putting other devices (phone, tv etc) aside; taking a deep breath, to the full extent of your lung capacity; and focusing solely on the “artwork” section.
Once you’ve processed that to your satisfaction, the rest of the post is optional reading, provided only to share my own impressions and reasons for choosing this piece.
artwork
“Pilgrimage” by Ichiko Aoba, from her album Windswept Adan (2020), set by YouTuber eyes wide shut to footage from Samsara (2011) directed by Ron Fricke.
interpretation
I was already going to post the beautiful “Pilgrimage” song, which stands up on its own. However, on my way to finding a YouTube embed for this newsletter, I came across a music video setting the piece to Samsara, a globe-spanning documentary I’d never heard of before.
The variety of human experience covered in that film, and now in this barely 4-minute music video, is simply astounding. To think that all of this was shot on the same planet, across five years and 25 countries in the late 2000s. The juxtaposition between European palace and wide-open desert, between meat-packing factory and sterile office, is shocking and heartening in turns. To say nothing of the man slathering his face with clay (?), representing individual madness that can be lost and forgotten in the big city immediately following. We see the breadth of humanity, what we can accomplish or destroy on such a large scale. The way the video ends, too, on the vibrant, intricate Tibetan sand art mixed by so many hands into a greyish-blue. As if all we’d built can be swept away in the blink of an eye... only to create again another day? This piece honestly brings tears to my eyes.
That’s to say nothing of the song, the second track setting the scene on Aoba’s album Windswept Adan, which she had imagined as a film soundtrack. What better than to match gorgeous visuals with this densely-orchestrated piece that percolates and spills over with life?
To me, both song and film are transcendent, more meaningful for having encountered each other.
context
Ichiko Aoba (1990 - ) is a Japanese folk singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who plays guitar, piano, accordion, flute and more on her compositions. She has released 6 albums and more live albums to date.
Ron Fricke (1953 - ) is an American filmmaker who directed Chronos (1985), Baraka (1992) and Baraka’s sequel Samsara (2011). He specializes in time-lapse and large-format cinematography; for example, Samsara was shot entirely on 70mm film.
YouTuber eyes wide shut has edited several videos of film footage set to contemporary music, including Solaris and Burning.
Feel free to share your own thoughts in the comments!
If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing and telling your friends about Spirit :)