Creative Collaborations
We live in a multifaceted world and multimedia is no exception. Artists and creators nowadays have so many tools and languages to choose from it is both exciting and overwhelming at times. In this article I will explore three examples of collaborations between different artists using different media types as examples of the rich plethora of creativity us humans are capable of producing.
Scratch Documentary
Back in 2001 I watched a documentary at the Duke of York’s Picture House in Brighton. It was a documentary which marked me. I had been rather oblivious to Hip-Hop music until a serious boyfriend of mine at uni opened up his world to me and there I discovered what Hip-Hop really is. I’d been put off by the Hip-Hop which had started infiltrating the mainstream, and seemed to me to be promoting violence, gangs and conflict of some sort. I also, quite simply, didn’t like it. But suddenly I was discovering artists such as DJ Krush, DJ Shadow and others, who had so much style, depth and real artistry. This feature-length documentary film about hip-hop DJing, otherwise known as turntablism, came at the perfect time in my life. It explores the origins of Hip-Hop, from the South Bronx in the 1970s to San Francisco in the early 2000s. The world's best scratchers, beat-diggers and producers wax lyrical on the infinite possibilities of vinyl.
Why I have included this particular piece of work? Well, interestingly, already turntablism is the art form of taking an existing piece of music and using it in a new creation.
This excerpt above is one of my favourite parts of the film which shows him and the art of ‘digging’, in a basement surrounded by piles of untouched vinyls, hunting down that perfect gem, which he’ll then use in his own work. So, we have sampling of music within new created music, along with original music created by the artist himself, and lastly in turntablism, you have the destruction of vinyls in the aptly-named scratching to create something new. So, already within the music, there is a real mix of different media and creative forces which leave us with something totally new, totally unique. And then put that music within the context of a documentary, there is yet another blend of media types. And then the collaboration of all the artists and important figures who were interviewed, recounting the beautiful journey that is real Hip-Hop.
After Skool: Love your Servitude
The next project I have chosen is a Youtube channel named After Skool I discovered a couple of years ago. It essentially is a group of creatives who produce animated videos based on talks, literary works, speeches and even other Youtube videos. They take the audio from the chosen piece of work and then create the animation to go along with the words being said. It is incredible to see how having these visuals changes how we understand and assimilate the information we hear. I personally love the style and they always have deep messages placed delicately within their images. Their mission, as stated on their channel is as follows and as you can see anyone is encouraged to contribute. A real plethora of creative collaboration if ever I saw one.
We cannot change the world. But we can change ourselves...and that will change the world. The goal of this channel is to empower the individual and deliver profound ideas through art. Everyone is welcome to contribute. If you have a good idea for an animation please send them to Mark at AfterSkool100@gmail.com
Rotary Finger: Neverland Beach
My third and last example is actually a project of my own. In collaboration with Italian guitarist, Paolo La Ganga we wrote and self-produced an album called Neverland Beach under the band name Rotary Finger. This involved the art form of music, so already a collaboration between the two musicians, myself and Paolo. It involved the collaboration of three different sound engineers to work on the live and studio recording, the mix and the mastering. It also involved the collaboration with phgotographer and graphic designer Marco Mioli, who played a key role in the album cover and sleeve, as you can see here below with the image of the album front cover:
You’ll also notice that on the front cover there is an illustration. In fact, there is a collection of a watercolour and ink illustrations, which represent the essence of each song. This is another example of a creative collaboration, both in media style and I guess as regards the person, although that person in this case was myself, just with a different hat on.
In conclusion, creativity has no limits. Collaboration and cooperation can only lead to more creativity, more art and ultimately, more magic. Enjoy the ride!
