COVID has forced many creatives to rethink the way they deliver content, music, and experiences to fans, and one of the most common answers is on-location sets. For Montell2099, he visited his native Auckland, New Zealand to film at the Karekare Beach and the result is nothing short of stunning.
The immersive short film is an intersection between New Zealand’s natural environment and Montell2099’s digital dimension. Shot in Karekare, a small coastal settlement rich with native Maori history in Auckland, New Zealand, the film highlights Montell2099’s cultural identity as sacred land becomes the visionary’s stage.
Created in collaboration between show and lighting design moguls Human Person and Angus Muir Design, Montell2099 Live From Karekare marks the second visual collaboration between Montell2099 and Human Person, the world-renowned show design company led by Wellington raised Ben Dalgleish. They last worked together on the visual counterpart of Montell’s debut 2020 EP FORCES, a dizzying cosmic odyssey of mind-bending, metallic 3D illusions. Taking an opposite approach on Live from Karekare, Dalgleish’s show design explores the relationship between technology and nature.
“I saw this project as a chance to celebrate all the amazing music that Montell has been making recently. Previously Human Person had created 3D visuals for Montell2099 – but I always had the feeling that these songs deserved a visual presentation that was more natural in nature.” Human Person’s Ben Dalgleish says.
“The location we chose, Karekare beach is in my opinion one of the most beautiful nontraditional beaches in the world. The dark-colored sand mixed with steeped rock formations, dotted with flax, tussock grass and other New Zealand fauna was the ideal setting. We wanted to add a touch of technology, so a large triangle LED formation was designed, paying homage to a similar shaped rock that sticks out of the ocean just off the beach. Centering Montell in this triangle was a statement, grounding him and linking him to the beach and in a broader view; the country and land he is from.”
Watch below!
