Here’s a groovy and playful bump for your midweek slump. Above, check out songstress Meklit’s freshly released video for her recent tune “Slow”, and read all about it below. Sadly, it looks like some clocks may have been harmed in the making of this video – but it’s worth it to stop time!
Tell us about “Slow” — the video and song. What’s it all about?
We had a blast shooting this video! It’s directed by my good friend Kevin Gordon and shot by the fabulous videographer Matt Clarke. The story has me visiting a magical clock shop while on a mission to collect clocks, throw them off a roof, and watch them put themselves back together.
The song is from We Are Alive, an album I released just this past March on Six Degrees Records. The tune highlights the strange reality that nothing takes the time you think it will. Somehow it’s easy for us humans to place expectations on life, thinking that it will hurry up for us…. but it won’t. So give me all the clocks in your house, we can throw them!
I love the clock theme, and the location is so evocative. Where was this shot?
Our location was Smith Clock Company in San Francisco, run by clockmaker extraordinaire David Smith, one of the country’s only African-American clockmakers. He was kind enough to let us take over his space one Sunday afternoon. He even agreed to make a cameo in the video. That’s him at his workstation, taking apart a timepiece. The intricacy and precision of what he does is remarkable.
And now you’re putting out a call for submissions for your next video?
Yes! We are currently hard at work on the video for “Kemekem” (I Like Your Afro) an Ethiopian folk song we reimagined for the record. We are crowdsourcing short afro videos from all over the world to be a part of it. If you have an Afro and would like to participate (no wigs, please), you can send in a 15-30ish second video of you and your Afro representing you however you would like. You can be talking on the phone, cooking, dancing, looking in the mirror, picking out, braiding, unbraiding, smiling, frowning, clowning… It can be a group shot, a selfie, a duo, trio, any matter of Afro beauty! Visit this site for more info. We’re looking forward to including you!
To find out more about Hadero and her work, visit the TED Blog >>>
