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Two Artists Staged a Musical About Forced Migration, and Other Great Work From Europe
Plus very fast fashion in France and so many farmers in England
It’s difficult to find words for “Foreign Root.” Created by Ukrainian musician Ivan Dorn and Latvian director Andzej Gavriss, it draws from the creators’ experiences of displacement to hold a mirror up to the people whose suffering is livestreamed before our eyes. There are currently about 123 million migrants—forcibly displaced people—to date. There will be more as viable land grows scarce. They could, one day, be us or our kids, if they’re not already. (If you don’t think that’s possible, it’s worth asking why.)
“I started out writing a song,” says Dorn, who also appears in the film as the bus driver, “then decided to launch it with a music video about migration. But this subject matter cut so deep and really took hold of both me and Andzej Gavriss—so we ended up making a 13-minute film.” The work is surreal, gritty and human in a way that feels important. The music is less of a feature than punctuation.
“With the world turning upside down lately, I wanted to make a film as naive and honest as a child’s drawing,” says Gavriss. “Foreign Root” pointedly launched on America’s Independence Day.
Just as France puts the judicial brakes on fast fashion, speed hits the catwalk anew. The “CatRace”—created by BETC Paris for running concept store Distance and sports community Strava—was a Fashion Week catwalk show. It was billed as “too fast to see.” Ten outfits on 10 models, racing by in 57 seconds. Front row fashionistas got to keep the sweat.
We hail from a country where “banned ads” typically depict a woman in a bikini eating a hamburger on a car. The U.K. has a different kind of banned ad norm, and “The Farmer’s Choir” is what that looks like. Created by T&P for Hawkstone Lager, it features 34 British farmers singing an ode to the tune of “The Flower Duet.” Except Jeremy Clarkson, a “famously outspoken farmer and entrepreneur,” is also on this choir, and, well … even the specialized AI they used to sync the vocals couldn’t smooth that guy out.
Angela Natividad is the European markets editor at Muse by Clios. She also writes about gaming and fashion, and whatever else she’s interested in, really. She’s based in Paris and North Italy, so if you’re local, say hi. She might eat all your food.
