The Frown’s Bride of Zion/Dark Art is as contemporary as it gets. The video is a true lovechild of a media threesome – starring fashion, photography and music as main performers, not necessarily in that order. The result of this jolly hookup, is a synesthetic treat to be served and enjoyed chilly, which is exactly the feeling I got in my spine when I saw the scene with blood dripping on an otherwise perfectly trendy looking shoe. Indeed, the visual content of this video balances between being extremely aesthetically pleasing, mainly because of the dazzling beauty of Eve Rakow, and hauntingly disturbing, due to the symbolic representation of a female reproductivity gone awry.
The mystical symbolics of the video is interpreted easier, if one is informed about the basic practices of the African witchcraft performed in times of childbirth. To be honest, I only know this because of the information I found at a blog written by the video’s director of photography Steve Marais , thank him for that.
Eve Rakow is the singer, but also the creative head of the collective The Frown.The collective is made of multi talented individuals, who produce a refreshing and fashion-forward electropop, with a tiny splash of techno. They are currently quite successful in the South Africa, and whether they become a global hype is only as predictable as a pinball. For all I see, they might blast off into the stars any second now, as they already have all it takes. For more of their material, check out the sickeningly fruitful collaboration below, with one of Africa’s best multi-instrumentalist Ismael Mohamed-Jan, aka Pops Mohamed.
For more on The Frown click here
The Frown for Rayne // Bride Of Zion
Artist: The Frown
Track: Dark Art
Produced by: Gaschette in association with Rayne
Directed/Post production by: Colin O’Mara Davis
Director Of Photography: Steve Marais
Camera: JP Hanekom
Styled by: Jessica Lupton and Jessica Rayne
Hair and Makeup: Maria De Vos
Head pieces and accessories: Angela Hancock
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@TheFrownBand @thestolin @stevemarais @Gaschette
