Igor Elie-Pierre is a multi-talented artist with a particular capacity to translate his imaginative and prescient into gorgeous images, groundbreaking trend designs, or music that arouses all senses. For his latest mission, an EP titled “PivoT,” Igor determined to discover the best way humanity has reacted to the brand new actuality of the digital realm. His want is for mankind to stay genuine as we transfer ahead to a extra linked world. “PivoT” affords an acoustic expertise designed to resonate with listeners on a bodily and synesthetic stage, exploring the interaction between expertise, humanity, identification, and the creator-audience dynamic.
All through this interview, we’ll delve into Igor’s artistic course of, exploring how his numerous creative roles – photographer, designer, DJ, and now musician – all affect one another. In fact, we may even talk about his new EP, “PivoT,” and the way it can assist create a extra empathetic digital world. We’ll discover Igor’s ideas on the rise of AI, the significance of human connection in a “robotic-becoming” society, and the way his creative initiatives act as a counterpoint to this pattern. We’ll additionally dive into a number of the tracks within the EP, comparable to “Merged Topics,” which options an experimental dance movie, to know the inspiration behind his songs and the intricate relationship between music, dancers, and mimicry.
You’re in touch with artwork by means of many roles – photographer, designer, DJ, and now musician. What initially drew you to this multifaceted strategy, and the way does it affect your artistic course of?
I believe I used to be born an artist. I had my first movie digital camera at 7. I used to be uncovered to jazz, classical, and Latin music rising up. At any time when I had the prospect to be my very own ‘DJ’, I didn’t actually know which CDs to select from the pile, so I’d go by their cowl designs. Between ready within the foyer of my older sister’s ballet studio and attending the ultimate exhibits, I used to be a child mesmerized by the performing arts. A lot work, time, and assets to organize bodily ephemeral wow moments however with long-lasting reminiscences merely for the satisfaction or pleasure of an viewers.
I’d go to exhibits with my dad and mom, and I’d meet my pals’ dad and mom on the similar occasions – however with out them (my pals). Though I additionally loved enjoying video video games with pals, I by no means thought for a second that these exhibits have been boring.
For a really very long time, I might delve into various rock, desirous to take heed to one thing totally different than what was enjoying on the home and the favored music and hip hop my pals have been listening to on the time. I appreciated the uncooked and rebellious aesthetics of rock music, and I’d juxtapose these with the extra glamorous trend, images, and wonder magazines the place I browsed for pictures to attract portraits.
All of those early experiences fed and diversified my creative curiosity. However, what actually outlined my course of was my introduction to the essence of design (in faculty). The philosophy of design, its aesthetics, and extra importantly, its features. The act of making objects, atmospheres, and experiences for an viewers or finish consumer. Design later led me to branding, which works far past perishable physicalities and aesthetics.
So my course of is usually about with the ability to set a character and soul for a mission based mostly on quite a lot of inspiration sources and mixing that with analysis and technical know-how. The least vital and final step of the method is deciding which medium greatest expresses a sure thought.
Your work intends to make use of motion as a “catalyst for a extra empathetic digital world.” Are you able to elaborate on how motion, particularly by means of creative expressions like dancing, fosters empathy in your view?
I believe dance is a deeply empathetic type of artwork. Dancers have to know the character they’re enjoying. They should determine with a narrative or message and determine learn how to greatest convey an emotion utilizing solely motion, gestures, and expressions. Then again, the viewer can really feel, and transfer, by means of watching a dancer. In movie, digital camera motion and composition selections additionally assist evoke feelings.
The world had all the time been missing empathy and compassion, nevertheless it was by no means so digital. If folks wished to expertise one thing, they would wish to go to a sure place at a sure time with out being imposed on to take action. Assumably, they might be nicely and in fine condition.
In a digital-driven world, we’re all performers, storytellers, and filmmakers. For my part, we, as manufacturers, can use dance, cinematography, and digital media to form extra empathetic visible messages for individuals who want them. If we see this as a chance, then we’ll be capable to attain a wider and extra common viewers.
With the rise of AI and a “robotic-becoming” society, you emphasize the significance of human connection. How do your creative initiatives like “PivoT,” your new EP, act as a counterpoint to this pattern?
I believe the mission could be very eclectic, unconventional, and experimental. It’s a type of expression that comes from a human earlier than being assigned to a style and even being categorized as music. Whereas it’s just like the purest type of artwork, I attempted to shine it in a approach that it might turn out to be listenable to anybody with out dropping its originality. The symbolism behind every monitor is human-centric. In the long run, it’s an ongoing experiment for me, so I anticipate extra tangible outcomes sooner or later.
“PivoT” is described as a “free-form musical experiment” with multicultural influences. Are you able to stroll us by means of your artistic inspirations for this EP, and the way it displays your world perspective?
When creating in any self-discipline, I all the time begin with a temper board. On the day by day, my head features like a DJ. I continuously make mashups of fully totally different tunes I believe work collectively (that is how I got here up with the title IGOR360). Musically, these mashups turn out to be temper boards, and I take advantage of them as a base to create songs that inform tales housing the totally different feelings present in them.
The opening monitor for “PivoT” is “Merged Topics,” which is accompanied by a dance movie that explores viewers interplay. How did you collaborate with the dancers to translate your imaginative and prescient into motion, and what message do you hope to convey to viewers?
Every dancer had to consider a person or a gaggle of individuals with explicit wants whether or not these are affective, aesthetical, or cultural wants. All through the filming course of, the dancers needed to anticipate and create physique expressions that, firstly these particular imagined audiences and, secondly the broader communities would obtain positively, or kinesthetically determine with.
In “Merged Topics,” you describe desirous to bridge the hole between creators and the viewers. Are you able to elaborate on how each the movie and the music obtain this sense of shared expertise, regardless of the viewers not being a part of the preliminary creation course of?
The dancers carried out intuitively the entire time. And, whereas the music accommodates totally different rhythms and complicated tales in them, they danced one after the other with every of the person components that make them up. Every new component could be seen as a brand new floor or area for the performer to improvise on. So, ultimately, all of this offers place to a various vary of actions which might be at instances extraordinarily fluent or highly effective– and others which might be much less fluent or painting vulnerability. When watching the video, the mimicry and interactive responses to the music, joined with the again and forths between lone and paired scenes, evoke a ton of various feelings. At instances, alone or collectively, the dancers look extraordinarily invested and critical of their efficiency; which demonstrates they’re working in the direction of a standard finish aim. Total, this perceived transparency accentuates a detailed proximity with the viewer.
One other monitor that caught my consideration was “The place Are You From.” It tackles complicated questions of identification. Are you able to inform us extra in regards to the experiences that impressed you to create this tune, and the way it challenges the restrictions of the query itself?
As an artist, a artistic, and a person who’s lived in lots of cities and has rubbed shoulders with totally different cultures, I worth individuality lots. I typically wish to introduce myself by means of what I do, my abilities, my expertise, or the cultural artifacts or pursuits which have formed me as an individual. When attending to know new folks, I by no means consider this query as a dialog starter, as a result of I don’t suppose it’s a very powerful factor that helps in figuring out Who they are surely. Likewise, I can’t use one title to summarize my multifaceted creative follow. Whereas it could possibly generally be a type of real and constructive curiosity, the issue with this query is that, in some cases, it could possibly weaken somebody’s sense of belonging in a given area, negatively amplify variations, and be perceived as a type of microaggression.
Wanting forward, along with your music and creative initiatives pushing the boundaries of empathy and connection within the digital age, what are you most enthusiastic about exploring in your future endeavors?
My goal is admittedly to make use of artistic considering to unfold constructive experiences into the world. So, I’ll prioritize multi-sensory productions for the digital. Within the subsequent few months and years, I’ll be engaged on extra avant-garde music, extra collaborations with different music artists, and positively extra dance and trend movies that spotlight each the range and expressivity of humankind. (considering performers with disabilities, of various age teams, and with physique shapes that don’t conform to the requirements set by society, media, and sadly the style trade).
Images: Robert Whitman
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