A realization, twenty years later
Before getting into this one, a general remark about these videos. I’ve been talking about the concept of an emotional rollercoaster running through them, whether it applies to the band or to you watching. But researching what to talk about this week, and even more so last week, I realized my work here is completely centered on symbols I studied twenty years ago in the visual arts faculty, and I’m meeting them again without having noticed: the Memento Mori of the Renaissance, and the vanitas of the seventeenth century.
Philippe de Champaigne, Vanitas, 1646
It’s obvious in hindsight, and I hadn’t seen it until now. This whole series turns out to be a way for me to crystallize the ephemeral side of human relationships and passions, and of life more generally. I’ll say more about it in a future video; the twelve visualizers have been finished since June, so all of this was already there; I just hadn’t realized how coherent the whole concept actually is.
One of the first things that struck me as original in this song was a kind of small scream, which I tried to embody through the smoke of spirits you see throughout. It gives the video a slightly mysterious edge, as if we’re stepping into a memory where voices can still be heard.
Verses in the dark, choruses in the light
The song splits into two big parts, which I associate with verses and chorus. The verses sit in a dark atmosphere built around an hourglass with white sand, audio-reactive throughout, sand included, with the moon still visible behind it. The choruses move into a kind of timeless emptiness that fits the rhythm of the instruments well.
On the demo, the very first time I listened to this part, I remember exactly the emotion it gave me; the voice wasn’t mixed yet, rawer than the final, and it resonated with me. I dissolved into it internally, and I still love that version. Right after it, “You will leave again” gets cut by “We will meet”; it plays as if everything had been written in advance, and that’s exactly what I wanted to translate into the images.
Letters that gather, and letters that float
The lyrics appear on screen as if pulled straight from a script. I used the intensity of Will’s voice to pull the letters of the text together; when there’s no voice, they dissipate and float loose in space; when a voice comes back in, the letters gather again.
Spotify Canvas loop created from this visualizer
See you next week to meet an “Old Friend.” Until then, don’t hesitate to like, share, pre-order the vinyl, and take care of yourself. The full series lives on the N U I T _ Alt Real case study, and the finished visualizer for this track is up on Instagram.
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