Leading video artist Marco Brambilla taps tribalism and neo-classical influences to paint an extraordinary visual tableau for Kanye West’s new release, Power.
Taken from Kanye’s forthcoming release Good Ass Job [Title TBC], Power is a contemporary musical morality play reflecting on the problems and paradoxes of modern life – where excess, egotism and celebrity coexist alongside poverty, dubious politics and power.
Responding to the drive of Kanye’s track, Marco Brambilla has visualised a moment of cataclysmic collapse with a moving video collage inspired by neo-classical art and his previous installation piece, Civilisation.
“Kanye got in touch via my gallery having seen my moving video collage Civilisation installed in the elevators of the Standard Hotel in New York. That piece drew on the themes of Dante’s Inferno and uses scenes for mainstream Hollywood films to chart the rise to heaven, or fall to hell, depending on whether you’re travelling up or down in the elevator.”
Using Civilisation as a conceptual starting point, Brambilla began to consider how to evolve the technique to create an original video artwork for the track Power.
“Emotionally, the song struck me as being a combination of this epic and imposing sound with a very urgent message while at the same time there’s a sense of contradiction that comes from the human voice behind the music. There’s a tension between the decadence and excess but at the same time you can feel an undertone of doubt and fragility.”
Brambilla’s response is a stunning Sistine Chapel style video collage that depicts Kanye as musical icon, evoking Napoleonic portraiture and superimposing a moment of transition on top. The video also pays homage to Salvador Dali’s famous collaboration with photographer Philippe Halsman to inject the piece with an impending tone of inevitable cataclysm and slow burning catastrophe.
Power is the first video to be released as part of Brambilla’s wider commission to create an album-length film for Good Ass Job. The film will use Kanye’s music as the narrative driving force behind a highly stylized operatic odyssey.
Artist: Kanye West
Title: POWER
Record Label: UMusic
Production Company: Stink
Director: Marco Brambilla
Executive Producer: Daniel Bergmann
Producers: Anna Smith, Jonathan Lia
DoP: Martin Ahlgren
VFX Supervisor: Steve Mottershead
CG Artist: Christian Moreton
Art Director: Babak Radboy
Set Decorator: Tina Ninotchka
Stylist: Mel Ottenburg
Editorial / Post: Art Jail
Post/Effects: Nice Shoes
CD/Flame Artist: Aron Baxter
Colorist: Ron Sudul
EP: Maribeth Phillips
Adland® is a commercial-laden heaven and hell for advertising addicts around the world.
This advertising publication was founded in 1996, built on beer and bravery, Adland® now boasts the largest super bowl commercials collection in the world.
Adland® survives on your donations alone. You can help us out by buying us a Ko-Fi. Adland® works best in Brave browser
I have a very poor view of Kanye and his music. So I will decline commenting only because of the respect I have for this website and the management. I will find another location to do my thing. LOL
- reply
PermalinkWell, you could concentrate on posting about the video itself. Sure, it's Kanye and you might not like his music but he does collaborate with great artists on his videos. Take "See You in My Nightmares" for example. Also that Absolut campaign "BE KANYE" was kinda funny, even when someone took it a bit too literally and hacked into his myspace and gmail.
As for Marco Brambilla, the creator of this video, he's done great work before as well. Kanye liked his Civilisation, and marco did this Take2 Game - Spec Ops game sneak peak which leaked too early or something. Take2 and their army of lawyers harassed us constantly to take that down (even though we had permissions from Marco's reps) and promised to let us know when it could go back up. They never did. So hey, we like Marco but think take2 interactive are tossers.
- reply
PermalinkLOL I love how you push me to excel, grow and stretch my abilities! Must go running first. Those Belgians make some mean Waffles. I ate one. Oofta.
- reply
PermalinkVideo is great minus that he is in it wearing the stupidest looking chain thing. Makes Flava Flav's clock look cool. I just don't like pop music or people so into themselves they need a mirror everywhere they go.
I do like the animation is that or stop action? not sure what of the video is real and what isn't. Though the last few seconds man oh man if those two swords just hit the right place ;-)
I agree Marco kicks ass. I could see airbrushing him out changing the song and its a winner with the stoner crowd! I will have to see what else Marco has done. Very impressed.
- reply
PermalinkIMMA LET YOU FINISH.... BUT KANYE HAD THE BEST VIDEO OF THE YEAR.
Somebody had to do it.
- reply
PermalinkAnd so, you did.
- reply
PermalinkNobody beats Chuck.
- reply
Permalink