The Director Explains: AyOwA - 'Fri' (Video)
Director Tom McKenzie talks us through the stunning, swimming pool choreographed visuals for 'Fri' by Denmark-based electronica duo, AyOwA.
'Fri' is taken from the duo's debut EP, ’Eremit' and is an ambient yet glitchy electro pop track, catapulting its listener into a dreamy state of serenity.
Where was the video filmed?
The video was filmed at a swimming pool at Ollerup Gymnastikhøjskole, a college for gymnastics and sport, founded in 1920 on the island of Fyn, Denmark.
How does the video compliment the song?
I wanted to recreate the way the song balances between nostalgic melancholia and euphoric lightness and decided to tell a dance story of youth and experimentation.
Any behind the scenes stories?
For the underwater scenes the choreographer and dancer Jens Schyth Brøndum punctured his eardrum at the bottom of the pool! His dedication and our pretty strict timeline meant we shot half an hour underwater afterwards. Luckily his hearing is almost back to normal now ;).
Tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
I had just been to Moscow a few weeks before we shot, where I visited an ancient Banya - old, functioning Roman-style baths - where it felt like time stood still. When I discovered this location it had the same feeling; a time capsule which transported me to another world.
The theme of gender neutrality and fluid sexuality also fascinates me and pervades a lot of my work. The song title. 'Fri', which means “Free” in Danish, made me want to express this kind of freedom as well.
What is the message the video is trying to convey?
This is not a video with a clear message or lesson, more a feeling of timelessness and a fascination and a sensory experience.
Interview Feature by Karla Harris