Posts tagged 'Warm'

Childhood of a Circle

“Archibald lived in harmony with the surrounding world. Sometimes, after lunch, he would stroll along with a herd of mushrooms…”

I have a distinct memory of watching The Red Balloon in kindergarten. My overall recollection of the event is warped and faded but certain moments are forever burned into my mind. Strangely enough, all of them have nothing to do with the film itself: watching the reel-to-reel projector as it was wheeled in, perched heavily atop a sturdy steel cart with squeaking castors, its bottom shelf empty save for a large metal disc of tightly wound 8mm; the flurry of satisfying clicks and snaps each part on the projector made as my teacher deftly manipulated them into place; the lazy way the bulb brightened and the gentle warmth it radiated, the steady hum of the cooling fan and the slotted shadows its vents cast on the ceiling.

I’ve found that the electricity of a memory varies greatly depending on how old you are and grade school, for me at least, was a time when any new experience would surge through my brain like alternating current.

I felt so calm; so fine-with-everything as it played. It was nice; I wanted to stay there forever. The attached film, by French graphic designer/filmmaker/musician Kadavre Exquis, evoked a similar reaction; the richly textured, meandering landscapes and simple innocence of the characters made me want to melt through the screen for an aimless stroll. It’s warm and peaceful and colorful and chill and, well, lots of things really. The story is nice but it’s over too soon; I watched it four times in quick succession in a failed attempt to prolong the experience. That being said, I was happy to discover that there’s an original soundtrack to Childhood of a Circle that is orders of magnitude longer. You can listen to the entire thing gratis on Kadavre’s website or get the bits to go for a very-reasonable ten bucks.

There’s lots of strange, enigmatic intangibles in his work that I’m drawn to and it’s been fun taking time to tumble down the rabbit hole in an attempt to unravel them. Needless to say, I’m excited to see what Monsieur Exquis will make next.

Oh yeah: full-screen and headphones for this one, y’all. Enjoy!

[ Childhood of a Circle ]

The Shrine / An Argument

How was everyone’s Thanksgiving? Mine was fantastic. I’ve been holding off on watching anything Christmas related until today but wanted to share the latest from cut-paper-stop-motion-specialist Sean Pecknold before I dive head-first into some of my favorite movies. We first featured Sean’s work back in June and this, like the former, is another stunning music video for Fleet Foxes. The partnership between Mr. Pecknold’s visual style and the Foxes’ unique sound makes sense – both exude a rare heady blend of warmth, earnestness and mystery – and this time around the abstract geometry has been swapped for a spiritual/nature narrative that deftly holds your attention for a full eight-and-a-half minutes. Full-screen and headphones are a must for this one. Enjoy!

P.S. I checked our suggestion box right as I was about to post this and was pleased to discover that Luke Beaton had recently written in, recommending we check it out. Thanks, Luke!

[ The Shrine / An Argument ]

Eple

One of my all-time favorite music videos from one of my all-time favorite electronic acts, Röyksopp. Both the imagery and music is warm and comforting – it’s a feel good journey all the way around. Enjoy!

[ Eple ]