Beck’s Fusions
Beck's Fusions presents a series of specially–commissioned films made by visual artists in response to rare or unheard versions of songs by great bands and vocalists. These unique fusions span a wide range of visual approaches, from animation to video sampling and media art.
The programme will form an engaging, immersive experience, comprising the artists' interpretations of their chosen iconic song, presented in the Beck's Fusion's Pod, a multi–screen, 360˚ environment. This dynamic 26 x 10m purpose built touring space will be unveiled in Trafalgar Square on 6 September, and will be open to the public free of charge. The Beck's Fusions Pod will then tour in September to Meeting House Square in Dublin (16 Sep), Urbis in Manchester (22 Sep), and Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow (29 Sep).
6 – 8 Sep 07 Trafalgar Square, London, UK
Beck's Fusions, 2007
Commissioned by ICA
Curated and produced by Forma
Images: o/68 by Lia and @c (L) | Doug Fishbone [Film still courtesy Billabong] (R)
Expressway To Yr Groove(y) by Graham Dolphin, with Into the Groove(y) by Ciccone Youth
Graham Dolphin takes objects and icons from fashion and music and reveals the obsessions beneath popular culture. In his digital animation for the pod, iconic images twinkle and flicker like glitterball reflections, while the soundtrack builds, quickens and recoils again.
“I am interested in exploring Sonic Youth's side project Ciccone Youth as an example of ownership, authenticity and the reordering and contextualising of popular culture.”
Commissioned by ICA for Beck's Fusions, 2007
Produced by Forma
Doug Fishbone, with Also Sprach Zarathustra by Eumir Deodato
Doug Fishbone has created a surf celebration, a piece to fill the pod with the awesome and other-worldly majesty of big–wave surfing. Blending footage of some of the world's greatest surfers with a disco–classical groove – Eumir Deodato's legendary remake of Stauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra – Fishbone brings an epic surf vibe to the city.
“I wanted to put a bit of old–school into this by using a 70s disco–funk cover version.”
Commissioned by ICA for Beck's Fusions, 2007
Produced by Forma
Footage from Billabong Odyssey courtesy Billabong
Footage from Shark Park courtesy Greg Huglin Films
Footage from Biggest Wednesday, Blackwater and Teahapo's courtesy TB Productions
Nick Jordan, with Norwegian Wood by Cornershop
In his film of a Norwegian folk dancer, Manchester–based artist Nick Jordan presents the ‘halling’ dance, which demonstrates strength and virility. Filmed in a woodland settlement in Norway and set to Cornershop's cover of this Beatles classic, Jordan's work makes connections between seemingly unrelated elements.
“I chose this cover of Norwegian Wood because it's an interesting fusion in itself. Sung in Punjabi, Cornershop re–frames The Beatles' original, which in 1965 marked the first use of a sitar in pop music.”
Commissioned by ICA for Beck's Fusions, 2007
Produced by Forma
Clare Langan, with I Gaer by Sigur Rós
Dublin–based artist Clare Langan combines dramatic seascapes, shot in extreme slow motion, with the ethereal rock of Icelandic band Sigur Rós. Projected across multiple screens, the visuals create the illusion of a giant tidal wave surrounding the viewer. Langan creates an experience that reflects upon the fragility of mankind in the face of nature.
“I chose Sigur Rós because their music evokes the extreme of climate and landscape. Lagid I Gaer (The Song from Yesterday) has a drama that works with the imagery of a stormy sea.”
Commissioned by ICA for Beck's Fusions, 2007
Produced by Forma
Supported by Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board
Oliver Laric, with versions of Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Berlin–based media artist Oliver Laric creates a new instrumental cover version and video of the Red Hot Chili Peppers song, composed entirely from video clips of amateur renditions found on video–sharing websites. The film reconstructs the song note by note, as an ever–multiplying audiovisual collage.
“The great thing is how many amateur versions of Under the Bridge exist. I found more than 50 just by doing a quick search on YouTube. Maybe that's a new measure of cultural significance, as opposed to sales and downloads.”
Commissioned by ICA for Beck's Fusions, 2007
Produced by Forma
Torsten Lauschmann, with Sway by Dean Martin and Julie London (Rip–Off Artist Remix)
Set to a radical, seductive remix of Martin's quintessential rumba track, Lauschmann's film sees animated digits sing, dance and sway around each other, collapsing and reforming in sync with the audio's electronic interventions.
“I chose this remix because of the fusion between warm vocals and the abstract, glitchy rendering of the song. It's a love story of numbers swaying around in harmony and abstraction.”
Commissioned by ICA for Beck's Fusions, 2007
Produced by Forma
o/68 by Lia and @c, from O Superman (for Massenet) by Laurie Anderson
Lia, with sound artists @c (Miguel Carvalhais and Pedro Tudela), produces a reinterpretation of Laurie Anderson's 1981 hit O Superman (for Massenet). Using software–driven processes and manual manipulation, Lia creates a series of graphics based on Anderson's video, while remixed audio puts minimalist–inspired piano rhythms alongside the original beats and melodies.
“For us, this track is an absolute landmark of late–20th–century music. As musicians and music–lovers, we learned much of what we know, we became much of what we are, from Laurie Anderson's art.”
Commissioned by ICA for Beck's Fusions, 2007
Produced by Forma
Erik van Lieshout, with Kingdom Come by Jay–Z
Dutch artist Erik van Lieshout presents footage shot during his recent travels through Israel, set to Kingdom Come by hip–hop giant Jay–Z. Lieshout creates an exploration into human behaviour and social–cultural realities, documenting a spirited journey in his very personal and provocative way. The film is part road movie, part pop video and part performance.
Commissioned by ICA for Beck's Fusions, 2007
Produced by Forma
Jane and Louise Wilson, with Who Knows Where The Times Goes by Cat Power
Shot in the Kazakhstan desert and a a series of empty industrial and urban architectural spaces, the Wilsons' film alludes to the ghostly presences of the people, politics and industry that once populated these places. Combined with Cat Power's version of Sandy Denny's song, the piece evokes a sense of places lost to the passage of time.
Commissioned by ICA for Beck's Fusions, 2007
Produced by Forma
Am I Relapsing? by Young–hae Chang Heavy Industries, with Everyone's Got to Learn Sometime by Beck
Young–hae Chang Heavy Industries is Young–hae Chang (Korea), and Marc Voge (USA) creating text–based animations. Their simple, provocative slogans, manifestos and meditations have caught the attention of audiences worldwide. Am I Relapsing? tells a tale of one person's struggle with everyday life and all its injustices.
Commissioned by ICA for Beck's Fusions, 2007
Produced by Forma
