Posts tagged 'Contemplative'

Shadows

It’s pretty rare that I’ll post a video that isn’t HD. The attached is only 360p which is, like, 50% less than my typical minimum-p-quotient but the lack of resolution does little to diminish its charm.

It’s a music video is for a tune by Wagon Christ, an artist I first encountered during my post-college-single-and-searching-for-meaning-slash-purpose years. At the time I was living alone and working from home for a start-up which meant my long-simmering tendency to obsess was, for the first time, allowed to swell unfettered to a full, rolling boil. My mind has wrapped that entire era in a peculiar, wistful nostalgia; I have no desire to return to those days but will forever appreciate how they shaped me into who I am today.

My memories of that time have all bled together, lost in an impenetrable haze of code, photoshop, booze, solitary walks and music from SomaFM. The latter had a show, Groove Salad, that played ambient, downtempo instrumentals and I am forever in its debt for introducing me to artists like Leggo Beast, BullitnutsdZihan & Kamien, Tosca, Baby Mammoth and, of course, Wagon Christ.

The visuals – created by Celyn Brazier and Tom & Mark Perrett (of Nexus Productions) – are evocative of both Yellow Submarine and Castle in the Sky and tell a story about the transformative power of time, demonstrating how quickly the impressive giants of yesterday can become todays tourist curiosity.

ENJOY!

[ Wagon Christ - 'Shadows' ]

Hinode

Tetsuka Niiyama dropped a note in the suggestion bin with a link to some animation he created, “that depicts saltation and growth of life in the sea using jewelry as the motif for illustrating the theme ‘Jewels of Sea’”. It’s expertly done and über-chill...ENJOY!

[ HINODE ]

Oben

Gorgeous, haunting and dripping with atmosphere, this film by Thierno Bah, Noé Giuliani, Pierre Ledain and David Martins da Silva deserves your undivided attention. Stylistically it reminds me of both Fosters and Samurai Jack (high praise, for sure) but, in terms of thematic fare, this is a dish meant for adults, not kids.

The word ‘heavy’ comes to mind.

Don’t hesitate to dive in, bruh. Oh and grab your headphones, the sound design by Prince N’Gouda Ba is top-flight.

If you want to keep the contemplative train rolling I recommend checking out Between Bears next. Enjoy!

[ OBEN ]

Nature Regulate

“All emotions are disease, worn down like rotted teeth;
I run a hundred miles an hour, to try and get free.
But to stained dollars we obey, ease the military away.
What happened to making the most of it?
What if one life – one roll of the dice – is all you get?”

The visuals in this music video for Birdpen (by Pooya Abbasian) are, at first glance a bit random and disconnected which, if I’m honest, initially put me off. I was like, what’s this all about bro? But the song itself – with its earnest description of the anxiety-riddled self doubt that chaperones our search for significance – speaks to the indeterminate, ultimate open-ended-ness that flows beneath us as we grow up. In that light, something connected and I watched it a few times in quick succession. Maybe you’ll like it too?

Thanks for taking the time to send this in Pooya, cheers!

[ BIRDPEN-Nature Regulate ]

Sometimes The Stars

“Here I am confessing: you’re lost to me now.
I’m on a train telling strangers, about you;
How you’re still looking fine, how you ease my lonely mind;
Long summers and wine:  yeah, you saved me.”

Luke Jurevicius, Ari Gibson, Jason Pammet and Shane Devries collaborated together on this quiet, contemplative music video for The Audreys, a five-piece blues/roots band from Adelaide.  We’ve featured two of Ari and Jason’s collaborations previously and it’s great to see their how their unique stylistic approach was informed by Luke and Shane’s exquisite and surreal initial concept art. If you’re curious to learn more about how it all came together, click here. Enjoy!

[ Sometimes The Stars ]

This City Will Eat Me Alive

Kid Zoom/Ian Strange is an Australia-born, Brooklyn-based artist who combines a graffiti/street-art sensibility with photo-realistic draftsmanship. His work is super-ultra-dope; it’s quietly contemplative one-moment but big-and-loud the next, equally engaging from far away as a whole or up-close where you can get lost in the details. This video is comprised of footage shot between May 2010 and January 2011 in NYC and LA for his This City WIll Eat Me Alive show. The first three minutes are upbeat, showing Ian at work (both indoors and outside) but the mood shifts to chill for the second half when Boards of Canada‘s excellent Kid For Today provides the ambiance for a private stroll through the gallery and an introspective encounter with his work. Enjoy!

[ KID ZOOM - This City Will Eat Me Alive ]

Bronte

“Now your bowl is empty and your feet are cold,
And your body cannot stop rocking.
I know…it hurts to let go.

This one’s a bit melancholy but, don’t despair, it’s also sweet and poignant so the net outcome skews towards reflection, not sadness. Ari Gibson channels a Miyazaki-esque vibe in this music video for Gotye that does a terrific job of exploring the weird, heady gumbo of new (often times conflicting) emotions and experiences that define our transition to adulthood. What gets lost as we grow up? Can we get it back?

The synergy between the visuals and the music is fantastic so make sure HD (available in both 720 and 1080p) is selected and the headphones are on. Enjoy! Oh, and Ari also directed The Cat Piano, an excellent short film we posted back in June so I’d recommend giving that a watch next.

[ Gotye- Bronte- official film clip (HD) via iamdonald ]

amalgamation

Micaël Reynaud, a webdesigner, animator, illustrator, photographer from Montpellier, created this animation with portraits from Michael Jang‘s Summer Weather series. The way the images blend, morph, evolve and interact with each other is deliriously hypnotic which, when combined the spacey, ambient synths of Memory Tapes, amplifies the vibe considerably. It’s gorgeous, trippy business friends so do yourself a favor and watch this in full-screen 1080p with a nice pair of headphones on. Enjoy!

Previously on The Tripatorium™: Yes I Know by Memory Tapes

[ amalgamation ]

Prototype #1

How should I categorize this collaboration between AEAEAEAE and Hans-Henning Korb? It’s not eye candy per-say but there’s no discernable narrative either. So an eye-snack maybe? A morsel?

I dunno.

I rather liked it, though. A strange, uneasy comfort descended as I watched those little flocking pixies as they zipped to-and-fro, attracting and repelling one other, grabbing and reforming their bedsheet-one-moment-and-mountains-the-next hovering landscape as a Vangelis-esque tune (that could easily be mistaken as part of the Blade Runner Soundtrack) provides the ambiance. It’s some interesting and intriguing stuff and, judging from its title, there’s more to come. I certainly hope so, at least.

[ Prototype #1 ]

Pirate’s Life

“As simple as it looks. The whole video is hand drawn frame by frame - markers on paper.”

Katarzyna Kijek and Przemysław Adamski are a directing duo from Poland who we’ve featured on the site before. They’re back with another labor intensive video, this time trading in flashlights and yarn for paper and markers. The hand-drawn execution goes beyond mere novelty (though it’s certainly a nice touch) by providing an aesthetic that reinforces we cut corners’ simple lyrics and aching earnestness. It’s as if the whole thing were drawn in a notebook on a long, contemplative and rainy bus ride home from school.

Kijek and Adamski are dedicated to their craft (just take a look at how many markers they went through) so do yourself a favor and head on over to their blog or Vimeo page to see more of their work. Oh, and a big ‘thank you’ is due to Hamilton for sending it our way. Cheers!

[ We Cut Corners "Pirate's Life" ]

Tokyo Slo-Mode

I’ve always wanted to travel to Japan. From my perspective as a westerner it seems as if going there would the closest I could get to visiting another planet without first having to leave this one. I can remember being in middle school during the early 90s and setting an alarm on Friday night so I wouldn’t forget to wake up and watch the Saturday Anime block on the Sci Fi network. Those mornings were formative for me: I’d be up before the sun, slack-jawed-and-in-awe in front of the tee-vee as my brain booted itself into consciousness on such audio/visual feasts as Record of the Lodoss War, Akira, Ghost in the Shell and Vampire Hunter D.

“Where did this come from? Who made this?”

The attached film by Alex Lee starts to answer those questions by stringing together a succession of fleeting moments that provide insight into this unique, vibrant place. The speed of the film will quickly shift from fast to slow and back again, pulling your focus into attention on a face, a movement or a landscape for a quick instant before moving on to find another, driving home the point that there’s plenty more to see. Alex’s choice for a backing track couldn’t have been more perfect; what better way to evoke another world then a collaboration between Flying Lotus and Thom Yorke?

This one’s a winner so gratitude is due to Aubrey for sending this one our way: it was a treat…thanks, Aubrey!

[ TOKYO SLO-MODE ]

Brokendate

It’s hard to explicate what it is about synthesizers that elicits an instinctual positive response from the music approval synapses of my brain. With all this recent deadmau5, dubstep and ‘electro’ business as of late I sometimes have to remind myself that people used to hate this shit. It’s worth noting that I never liked electronic music simply because ‘they’ hated it; I liked it because I liked it. But why? I dunno. I think part of it has to do with the lack of vocals – I’m partial to constructing my own personal narratives when the headphones are on – or maybe it was because these sounds were often found alongside subject matter about technology, a subject I’ve always been enamored with. But that’s not entirely it either. There’s something about synthesizers that transports me to somewhere else which, it turns out, is a place I’m constantly trying to get to. In that regard Com Truise fits the bill. Ghostly International describes him as the ‘master of the transporting synth odyssey’. They’re his label so we can forgive the hyperbole but still, the description is apt.

The video itself, like the tune, is decidedly retro and seasoned throughout with numerous stylistic nods to the early 80s but don’t dismiss the 10lb Pictures created visuals as merely a lazy grab for nostalgia. There’s a tasteful restraint at work here that has brought me back for additional viewings. The flavors are ‘right’; it works. Grab your headphones, click full screen and above all else: enjoy!

[ Com Truise - "Brokendate" ]

Descendants

“You want to be eaten by this beast?!”
“What is so wrong with that? I would flow through his veins; I would become a part of something bigger!”
“He is our enemy! He is dangerous! Can’t you understand that?!”

Descendants was written/directed/designed/modeled by Heiko van der Scherm and animated by Goro Fujita and Felix Graf over the course of three years (working full-time, six days a week). All that work shows, too; it’s a treat to watch. Enjoy!

If you’re interested in process then be sure to check out this fairly exhaustive write-up on how the film came together, complete with test renders and concept sketches.

[ Descendants ]

Sonnensturm

From what I can tell DADOpresents used some planetified 360 panoramic footage in order to pull off this unofficial video for Sonnensturm by Pantha Du Prince. The tune is very nice – I’m rather partial to this particular flavor of tight, rambling, syncopated electronica – and the visuals do a great job of pulling your eyes along through the ebbs, flows and stabs of the five minute ride. Serving suggestion: late-night in a dark room with the volume up.

Thanks for the suggestion, Hermes!

[ Pantha Du Prince - Sonnensturm ]

She Just Likes to Fight

chutieboy took some time-lapse footage shot by Philip Bloom, kaleidoscope-o-fied it and then set it to some chilled-out Four Tet. After being subjected to our stringent approval process this video was unanimously deemed, ‘Suitable for mellow reflection and contemplation after a long weekend of merry-making.’ Recommended use instructions: full screen HD and headphones. Enjoy!

[ Four Tet-ulizer - She Just Likes to Fight ]

Mykonos

“Brother you don’t need to turn me away, I was waiting down at the ancient gate;
You’ll go, wherever you go today, you’ll go today.”

Encourage your Saturday night mellow with this most chill of pairings: the delicious haunting harmonies of Fleet Foxes served alongside the abstract cut-paper stop motion visions of Sean Pecknold. Both Sean and ‘Foxes have been featured on The Tripatorium™ before which can be handily accessed through the following two hyperlinks: Knowledge / Grown Ocean.

A big thanks goes to Chris for the suggestion – cheers!

[ Fleet Foxes - Mykonos ]

Vessel

“We’d been looking into an old 3D technique called “Anaglyph”, which is the familiar red and cyan version of 3d that you used to get on the back of cereal boxes. The more we looked at various images that used this technique, the more we fell in love with the colours and decided that they should drive the aesthetic of the piece…The song is full of light and shade; with euphoric melodies and skipping glitchy beats. It seemed to us that themes of ‘duality’ ran through both the song and our visual idea.”

Absolutely loving this music video BISON (a.k.a. Owen Silverwood and Dave Bullivant) put together for the Four Tet remix of ‘Vessel’ by Jon Hopkins (released by Domino and available now on iTunes & AmazonMP3). It’s ethereal, contemplative and gorgeous stuff – perfect for some rainy-day chillage. Big ups to Justine Josephs for the fantastic styling and Claire Meehan for lending her dance expertise, the two in tandem are a powerful combination. Cheers!

P.S. If you’re into dance, near Des Moines on Friday and want to get in one last great party before the Apocalypse then stop by Glaza Studio for End of Days – it looks like it’s going to be a pretty rad time.

[ Jon Hopkins - Vessel (Four Tet Remix) (2010) ]

Sahara Wonderland

zoomion had the fantastic idea to shoot some gorgeous hd footage of the Sahara desert and then set it to the tribal sounds of SaReGaMa. Nice.

If you’re interested in any location/technical details there’s lots to read on the video’s Vimeo page and if you want to watch ‘Sahara Wonderland’ on your fancy big screen TV then you’re in luck because zoomion was kind enough to host free, high quality downloads in both 720p and 1080p. Cheers, guys – thanks!

[ Sahara Wonderland ]

The Silhouettes

The best music videos are the ones in which the visuals and music are so complimentary it seems as though they were created at precisely the same moment.  This is one of those videos.  Top-flight, late-night viewing folks!

Featuring the music of Sam Prekop (released on Chicago’s Thrill Jockey Records), this video was directed by Jordan Kim who also shared some of the animation duties along with Cris Shapan, Michael Wingate and Patrick Armitage.

[ Sam Prekop - The Silhouettes ]

Come back down

A visual journey – created by Clement Picon – that’s perfect for contemplation and reflection.  The soundtrack by Jviewz is a fitting accompaniment to the visuals and ties the whole affair together rather nicely.  Best served late at night with the lights dimmed.

[ Come back down ]