art
MAFF Premiere: FLUTTER
Flutter is an experimental ambient track for acoustic cello and electronics by MIZU, from her upcoming album Forest Scenes - releasing 3/22. “Flutter” celebrates and juxtaposes themes of exploration within constraint, limitlessness within seeming limits, and the resilience of independent voices against unknown textures. Exploring the dynamics between contrasting elements (symbolized by the characters of White and Black), within the atmospheric presence of a cello, we embark on a quest for understanding through movement and performance. Embodied by two queer Asian performers, the journey is an ode to self-acceptance and transformation. A lone cello, elevated to the status of a spiritual object, acts as a silent witness and catalyst, summoning the protagonists together within a mysterious void space. In the later shift to the reality world, we are revealed to be within an empty rehearsal studio, where the characters’ movements echo from prior, reaching for an ever unattainable ideal. The void space and its real-world parallel become a figurative forest, spaces for exploration of self through elements of performance and movement. The video charts the personal connections to performance of both protagonists; MIZU’s musical origins lying within the realms of musical theater, and Zhou’s current experimental practice being rooted within their drama background. Bringing together two performers of diverse practices, “Flutter” is an ode to the mysterious magic within the crossroads of the world of theater. 2nd AC / Trainee - Noah Gravillis Gaffer - Ian Chen Grip - Aldo Vassallo Wardrobe - Alice Seon Makeup Artist - Shamis McGillin Editor - Mason CW Graphic Design - Daedalus Li Song Credits Composed, performed, and recorded by: MIZU Mixing and additional production: Ariel Loh Mastered by: Taylor Deupree/12k Mastering @ Additional production: Ben Shirken