Some sounds make you feel warm inside! Some songs make you look within, only to discover other worlds in yourself. Some tunes are timeless, and take you to inner spaces you didn’t know existed. Some sonic soundscapes make you want to cry, just as they make you want to laugh. These are the kind of thoughts that are traveling through my mind as I watch the magical visual from Camilla Sparksss entitled “Watch Me.” Her new album Lullabies, comes out on Nov 24th via On The Camper Records. I want to say thank you to Camilla for creating an auditory safe space for my inner child to exist!
“Watch Me” is the portrait of a person witnessing their inner child. Silently coming to terms with the certainty that any attempt to govern it would be hopeless.
Camilla Sparksss
“Lullabies” is a collection of eight bedtime stories for adults consisting of two 12inch animated vinyl and a magic mirror designed by the artist. By placing the mirror on top of the record the animations spin to life at 45RPM.
The stories are very simple, spoken words, entirely composed on mellotron with a few endless grooves. An ode to spark the inner child. In an era of digital overload this album had to be purely analogue; physical and authentic. An album that people could experience in a natural environment, without having to look at a screen.
Joseph Plateau’s phenakistoscope was the perfect visual universe for this. So with the help or her friend and designer Giulio Parini they began designing a mirror that could be placed on top of the spinning picture discs. It took months to determine a frame rate for 45RPM to draw and re-draw the animations. Then, it took years to design a model that could be assembled at home and fit in a vinyl cover. Twenty-three prototypes to be exact.
Photo by Philippe-Mazzoni
