And this is where it all started, when the world first caught the essence of a pixie on screen and forever reached for her celestial elegance. Björk came to the world as part of a unit, as a solo artist she ignited something in us that stimulated, rattled and freed us from our drudgery. Though the 90s were anything but boring, certainly this Icelandic queen’s presence opened up the understanding of visual and auditory excellence, sensuality in which stimulation truly ignites the senses.
Directed by Stéphane Sednaoui, “Big Time Sensuality” was simple, yet unerringly elegant, as we’d come to know the Nordic beauty. Everything about it screamed freedom, almost as loudly as Björk did herself.
These past two days have been emotionally charged for me. Not because something particularly terrible or wonderful has happened to me. Well, that’s not completely true. Something wonderful did happen to me. I finally listened to this young lady’s debut album after teasing myself with two of her songs, and my senses were suddenly bombarded wiht unrecognisable emotions.
Indeed, it was Kimbra’s debut Vows that had me suddenly awash in a torrential flood of feelings I couldn’t quite describe. But it was by chance that I even came to know this woman and her unconscionable vocal power. I don’t really watch a lot of television, but taking a break from the computer I found myself searching my usual cable haunts: Tennis Channel and Boomerang (yeah… I’m old, what can I say?). When neither a match nor a show I was particularly interested in presented itself, I started scrolling through some precautionary favourites, one of which is the MTVu Channel. I caught a glimpse of the video in the small picture-in-picture feature and thought to myself, “What the hell is THIS?!” The video was dark humour at its finest, smart, edgy. Then… that VOICE! As soon as the song was over I had to go back to my computer and find out where the hell a voice like that actually comes from. Apparently, New Zealand. Seems the country is doing big things bigger than anyone else, because I swear on everything I own this girl’s voice is a piece of grandness I’d not heard in someone her age before.
Then we get to the video itself. This pixie of a female with ruby red lips and a penchant for emotional largeness takes over a mental hospital and gives the doctor and his orderlies something to gawk at. Director Guy Franklin captures the quirk and queer of this Kiwi princess. Am I ever glad there was nothing to watch on telly that evening.
This is truly a video that deserves all the respect in the world. It’s an alternative look at the romance between Adam and Eve — or so I perceived it. Each couple represents a new understanding of romance, never-ending and true love. The song itself speaks of a glow so immense, that there’s no other light in the world beyond that of one lover for another.
The intimacy captured in this video is so raw, so open wide that it may be too much for anyone to watch in a public place. More than just the nudity, the closeness of each pair of lovers is so close it would seem as though we were infringing upon something delicate. Director Oliver Kartak (also known under the pseudonym Okalab) painted something of a decadent picture, literally using still frames dipped in wispy autumn hues to explore the natural depth of love and romance. It’s truly one of the most beautiful videos I’ve ever seen, depicting a classic story through the narrative arc of a gorgeous song.
