In recent years, several artists have attempted to reinvent the traditional format of the music video. Arcade Fire released an interactive flash-based video for "Neon Bible," while MGMT turned their clip for "Electric Feel" into a videogame, meaning that it has nearly endless possibilities for how it can turn out.
British pop minimalists the XX are next in line to offer a new take on the music video format, with their reinvention perhaps being the most ambitious yet.
As FACT Magazine reports, the project is being made with director Saam Farahmand and is halfway between a video and a sculpture. The clip spans the entire length of the XX's highly praised self-titled debut, and must be watched using three "audio-visual units" (one for each member of the band).
"We are interested in creating spaces that exist as a 3D physical interpretation of a song or an album," explained Farahmand. "[It] is in essence a physical music video, a looping shrine to the album that you cannot compress, send or turn off."
Farahmand also argued that this format would become the new standard, claiming, "We have to understand that these pop up 'rooms' and 'spaces' should and will become as commonplace as music videos, bridging the gap until we have the technology to 'stream' a 3D experience through our home computer as if it was a YouTube clip." (That might be a little presumptuous, but it still sounds like a pretty cool idea.)
If you're in London, England between January 8-12, be sure to check it out at the the Vinyl Factory gallery space to see the "physical music video." While you're there, pick up a copy of the exclusive, limited-edition version of the XX's album. Printed as a double gatefold LP, it comes with a new Matthew Dear remix of "VCR" on one side of the bonus twelve-inch and an etching on the other.
British pop minimalists the XX are next in line to offer a new take on the music video format, with their reinvention perhaps being the most ambitious yet.
As FACT Magazine reports, the project is being made with director Saam Farahmand and is halfway between a video and a sculpture. The clip spans the entire length of the XX's highly praised self-titled debut, and must be watched using three "audio-visual units" (one for each member of the band).
"We are interested in creating spaces that exist as a 3D physical interpretation of a song or an album," explained Farahmand. "[It] is in essence a physical music video, a looping shrine to the album that you cannot compress, send or turn off."
Farahmand also argued that this format would become the new standard, claiming, "We have to understand that these pop up 'rooms' and 'spaces' should and will become as commonplace as music videos, bridging the gap until we have the technology to 'stream' a 3D experience through our home computer as if it was a YouTube clip." (That might be a little presumptuous, but it still sounds like a pretty cool idea.)
If you're in London, England between January 8-12, be sure to check it out at the the Vinyl Factory gallery space to see the "physical music video." While you're there, pick up a copy of the exclusive, limited-edition version of the XX's album. Printed as a double gatefold LP, it comes with a new Matthew Dear remix of "VCR" on one side of the bonus twelve-inch and an etching on the other.
