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Arborist 'Matisse' by Stephen Agnew

Rob Ulitski - 1st Mar 2023

Stephen Agnew directs a curiously offbeat promo for Arborist. 

The video for Matisse sees the artist perform in an industrial location, whilst the making-of the video is referenced and interpolated right back onto screen. It takes a bit of wrapping your head round the concept to understand it, but in some ways, that's the beauty of the video. 

Confused yet? Let director Stephen Agnew explain... 

"Interpolating an interpolation before interpolating that interpolation," says Agnew. "My jumping-off point for this video is Lars von Trier's film The 5 Obstructions, itself a film that interpolates Jørgen Leth’s Perfect Human.

"I thought it would be fun to use this as a device to literally frame and interpolate the works of art and artists Mark mentions in the song, including but not limited to an inordinate amount of screen time dedicated to a urinal.

"After we set this premise we extrapolated it, inverting and slowing the footage while referencing ourselves making the video, via a Gondry-inspired camera setup before FINALLY revealing the artifice of the whole project.

"A sort of snake eating its own tail. But a fun snake made of cheap wood, cardboard modern art, cellophane and a LOT of favours."

Rob Ulitski - 1st Mar 2023

Tags

  • Performance
  • Abstract
  • Absurd
  • Creative
  • Gondry
  • art

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Credits

Production/Creative

Director
Stephen Agnew
Producer
Meghan Mc Ardle
Executive Producer
Ross Morrison
Executive Producer
1st AD
Sheena Kelly
Conor Toner
3rd AD, Jack Murphy

Camera

Director of Photography
Martin Senyszak
Focus Puller
Trevor Wilson
2nd AC
Matt Smith

Art

Art Director
Lucy Reid
Joanna McClurg
Art Department, Brian Magee

Grading

Colour Producer
Sam Phinikas
Colourist
Nick Dalby
Colour grade company
Bubble

Rob Ulitski - 1st Mar 2023

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