The Artist Explains: Seaker - 'Fireworks'

London based artist/producer Seaker speaks to us about her DIY visuals for ‘Fireworks’, her third track of 2018, following on from ‘Words’ and ‘Dreaming’.

With its understated production, ''Fireworks’ makes use of brooding atmospherics and simplistic affecting textures creating a solemn and engaging backdrop. Seaker’s voice steers the track, melting away some of the tension of the song with its raw, emotive honesty as ‘Fireworks’ draws on introspection to tackle “the messy nature of human emotion”.

“I seem to absorb the emotions of others and can be left suspended in a particular feeling or emotional state after talking to someone about what they are going through. I think it’s common for a lot of us to feel like that. We grow and develop depth as humans through connection and empathy. It is incredibly powerful and helps us learn and navigate our own lives. We all exist in one big web”.

Seaker Explains:
Where was the video for 'Fireworks' filmed?
It’s made up of free stock footage I found online, so I don’t actually know how and where the filming was done. I edited it together when I was house-sitting for my parents  out of the city so I was surrounded by trees and space which was lovely. It influenced the overall feel of it I’m sure.

 Are there any behind the scenes stories you could let us in on?
There weren’t any filming scenes to go behind really, due to the nature of this video! It’s all made from people I have never met. I do pop up twice as well, though my head is only visible in one shot. We filmed that bit in the back of my parents garden.  My dog was at my feet, just out of shot.

Can you tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
When I began the process of looking for footage, I was quite open in terms of the artistic direction as I wasn’t sure what was out there. It didn’t take long to realise that across the different clips I was seeing, they all tied together in their humanity.  As there was no audio to the clips, they transcended spoken language and united people in their similarities of expression. Sadness is such a universal feeling.  I began to really feel for these people, even though I knew they were acting for the footage.  That innate empathic relating-to-eachother feeling somehow became the underlying theme of the video.  I was amazed at some of the beautiful imagery online. I can’t take any credit for that as I didn’t film any of it. I would love to meet someone who was involved in making any of these clips. The characters have become so alive to me now.

 Is there a message the video is trying to convey?
That as human beings we have a lot more in common than we often think, and that we aren’t alone. Whatever we are going through, someone has gone through it before and someone is yet still to have that experience. The more we unite and see that through sharing and honesty we can move in a better direction, the more hope I have for us all.

But also I hope people just feel something from the video.  It’s nice to share a connection

Interview Feature by Karla Harris

Written and produced by Seaker. Mixed by Rick David. Additional help from Dom Gentry/Attaque, ‘Fireworks’ is available now.