Ibeyi ft Jorja Smith 'Lavender And Red Roses' by Lucrecia Taormina
Rob Ulitski - 31st Mar 2022
French-Cuban sister duo Ibeyi scale the desert with Jorja Smith, in Lucrecia Taormina's captivating promo for Lavender and Red Roses.Â
We see the artists trek through the midst of a sandy landscape, following the line of a rope to a well in the middle of the desert. They pour a jug full of lavender and red rose petals into the well - where, at the bottom a mysterious masked man digs further downwards.Â
Arguably this abstract narrative explores themes of femininity and divine energy, suggesting it is time to 'cut the cord', and stop relying on women to pull up men who are not actively helping themselves or looking for ways to improve their own situation. But the beauty of the visual, the magic of Taormina' concept, lies in the various ways in which to read the unfolding action.
Taormina weaves this ambiguous and metaphorical tale in her characteristic hyperreal style - not in a real desert, we suspect, but a very convincing studio and VFX-created approximation of one. A certain episode of Squid Game may also springs to mind while watching this too.
Once distracted by the petals, the man stops digging, and grabs the rope. Initially, the women pull with all their strength, to help him to climb up, but... then the rope is cut.
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Rob Ulitski - 31st Mar 2022
Credits
Production/Creative
- Director
- Lucrecia Taormina
- Producer
- Joshua Noon
- Producer
- LT
- Production Company
- F
- Executive Producer
- Danny Herman
- 1st AD
- Jack Green
Camera
- Director of Photography
- John Lynch
- Focus Puller
- Jeffrey Vine
Lighting/Grip
- Gaffer
- Krunal Saardrani
- Key Grip
- Cassius McCabe
Art
- Production designer
- Francesca Di Mottola
- Art Director
- Max Lincoln
Wardrobe
- Stylist
- Holly Wood
Casting
- Casting director
- Holly Shearn
Editorial
- Editor
- Joseph Taylor
- Editing company
- Assembly Rooms
- Edit Producer
- Joshua Gochez
Grading
- Colourist
- Luke Morrison
- Colour grade company
- Electric Theatre Company
VFX
- VFX
- Carl Jeppe
- Post production company
- Wicked Pixels
- Post Producer
- Michelle Kruger
Commission
- Commissioner
- Aliyah Otchere
- Label
- XL Recordings
Misc
- Colour Producer
- Oliver Whitworth
- Casting
- LC
Rob Ulitski - 31st Mar 2022