The Artist Explains: ES Wex- 'Surrender'
Brooklyn-based musician/artist ES Wex speaks to us about her powerful music video for the titular track from her new EP ‘Surrender’, which explore the juxtaposition between industrial, mechanical imagery and imagery that evokes humanity and interconnectedness.
Where was the video for 'Surrender' filmed?
The video was filmed in a few different locations throughout Brooklyn. We hopped from a salt shed in Bushwick, to a brick wall around the corner with an awesome graffitied truck in front of it, to the amphitheater in Von King Park in Bedstuy.
How does the video connect with the song?
The video and the song are so rhythmically connected. The video director/editor, Julia Sharpe-Levine, does an amazing job of using the video to emphasize moments in the music when the beat drops, or a new texture gets added, or the energy builds. The video also depicts the narrative arc of the song… a person’s transformation from being a mechanical cog in a machine to being free and human. The energy and movement of the video, like the song itself, begins with a level of rigid, individualistic, almost robotic intensity, that shifts into a more fluid, connected, and introspective energy. This is meant to represent the fragility of our capitalistic system, and what it would mean to break out of that and surrender to what we cannot control, and the beauty and power of our own humanity.
Do you have any behind the scenes stories you could share with us?
It was so so cold the day that we shot this video, which played into the intensity of it. It was so cold that there were moments when our noses would be dripping and our eyes would be watering uncontrollably, but we would find ways to incorporate it into the shots of the video. There’s an amazing take where one of the featured performers wipes snot from her nose, but makes it into an amazing and dramatic dance move. And one of my favorite shots of the whole video is when Ashton, another featured performer in the video, sheds a single tear. That tear happened just because it was so cold and windy out, but Ashton played it up so well, and it was later used in the video to represent an emotional response to surrender.
Can you tell us about the ideas/themes/imagery used?
In this video, I wanted to explore the juxtaposition between industrial, mechanical imagery and imagery that evokes humanity and interconnectedness. What does it look like to use bodies to depict machines, to explore interacting with bodies as if they weren’t human? We explored bodies moving as a unit, and then discovering their individuality, using multiple human bodies to represent one big machine, then each individual cog breaking off into something new and unique. Another theme that we delved into was the theme of surrender. We explored the different ways that 'surrender' manifested in our lives; surrendering to our intuition, surrendering to what we cannot control, surrendering to our innermost selves, surrendering to doubt, surrendering to love. We explored what it looks and feels like to embrace surrender in all its manifestations.
Is there a message the video is trying to convey?
In this current moment, when there is so much that we cannot control, this idea of surrender feels particularly important. Now is a beautiful time to surrender to this unprecedented set of circumstances and embrace the lack of control that we all have right now. Now is the time to redirect our energy towards our innermost selves, how we can each uniquely, individually, and collectively exist as the fullest and most human versions of ourselves. Now is the time to listen deeply to ourselves and figure out how to show up for ourselves and our communities. If we can each discover and tap into our deepest powers, as well as vulnerabilities, then we can rebuild a world that fosters collective care, a world where people are appreciated for exactly who they are, and systems are constructed to lift people up in their wholeness.
Interview by Karla Harris