The Artist Explains: John Metcalfe - 'See Me Through'
Composer John Metcalfe talks to us about the creative process behind the visuals for his beautiful electro-classical single, ‘See Me Through’, shot at tea dance and drawing attention to the grace of age.
’See Me Through’ is a poignant piece of music that moves with an elegant flurry and fluidity, seemingly documenting the transience of time and its profound effect on the human condition. The song is taken from John Metcalfe’s current album, ‘Absence’ which is out now and available, here.
John Metcalfe Explains:
Where was the video for 'See Me Through' filmed?
At a tea dance in Worthing, West Sussex.
How does the video connect with the song?
’See Me Through' is the last song on ‘Absence’, an album about how we miss people; loved ones who've died or who we've lost contact with and the internal imagined conversations we have with them that somehow keep them close and still with us in some way. So we wanted to carry this sense over into a live film. It’s obvious and probably crass to say it but older people have lived a life and their faces and bodies carry that in a powerful and enigmatic way; what have they done/seen/heard and what are they thinking as they move around the room?
Do you have any behind the scenes stories you could share with us?
No not really - just that it was such a lovely day - they were seriously nice people.
Can you tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
The album cover is taken from a mass ball that took place in London just after WW2. There are very few younger people in the picture and although the room is filled with people having a night out there is a melancholy sway to it, a sense of ghosts in the room, that these people are dancing with memories of loved ones taken too soon. So that was the core inspiration and main impetus to realise the essence of that somehow.
Is there anything you hope people take away from watching the video?
I think in addition to the above we also wanted it to demonstrate the grace of age. Youth, symmetry and that certain kind of beauty are inescapably everywhere and we wanted to create a film that was about something hopefully more profound and less tangible than just some choreographed fit people in cool clothes. If people get anything from watching and listening to the vid that’s great - I’d be very reticent about saying what I think they should feel.
Interview feature by Karla Harris