Image via Wikimedia Commons
Sometimes it can almost feel exhausting writing about someone as consistently creative and experimental as Solange. But jk, it's always a treat, since she's the sort of person who keeps pushing the limits of what she makes. Remember when she did pop-reggae? And that was fine, because she'd later follow that with a career-defining album in A Seat at the Table? Exactly. So as well as being an inspiring musician (catch her headlining this year's Latitude Festival), Solange is also an exciting visual artist to follow – so much so that the Harvard Foundation recently named her its Artist of the Year. In the past, she's collaborated with organisations like London's Tate Modern, and she's now unveiled a new work for the UCLA Hammer Museum.Blending dance and installation, "Metatronia" is currently on display at the museum, whose website describes it like this:
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You can see a preview on Instagram, and watch the full video, directed by Solange, on the Hammer Museum's website. Now, this is hard to describe. But, broadly speaking, Metatronia sees dancers – choreographed by Brennan Gerard and Ryan Kelly, who professionally go by Gerard & Kelly – moving deliberately but fluidly, in a way that almost mimics the stark white structures they're surrounded by (and which also in parts is reminiscent of Solange's own onstage choreography). I will say this: it's an affecting, wordless celebration of creativity, unconventional spaces, and the way our bodies and minds interact with both. Who knew people waving their limbs around could be this emotional?? Solange did.Follow Noisey on Twitter.Metatronia explores the process, and mapping of creation. The piece is an exercise on following the intuitive force that guides us, helping us to create space, and silence the mind to create the work. Continuing my practices and interest in exploring the relationship of movement and architecture as a meditation, Metatronia centres around building frequency and creating charge through visual storytelling.