Vegamama on the rampage, how care (at either end of life) makes us flourish, and two girls dancing to the Cocteau Twins in the snow. A/V for the soul
Welcome to our somewhat-monthly audio-visual cup dipped in the digital river… the Net can still be a lovely commons of creativity.
We were alerted to this beautiful video above by a tweet from Simon Raymonde, one half of the indie titans the Cocteau Twins, who wrote “there’s so much here about the joy that music can bring… [it] is easily the best video that anyone else made for one of our songs”. We agree. Part of the fascinating Random Acts short film series from Channel Four.
From Aeon, “Caring for the vulnerable opens gateways to our richest, deepest brain states”:
Humans often fancy themselves quite extraordinary specimens in the animal kingdom. But while most recent research undermines our centuries-long claims of human exceptionalism, there are some ways in which we are quite unique – especially when it comes to childhood and childcare. Indeed, even when compared with our closest primate relatives, humans spend a truly inordinate amount of time – roughly 15 years at the beginning and the end of the lifespan – as vulnerable creatures, not reproducing, and largely dependent on others.
In this Aeon Original animation, Alison Gopnik, a writer and a professor of psychology and affiliate professor of philosophy at the University of California at Berkeley, examines how these unparalleled vulnerable periods are likely to be at least somewhat responsible for our smarts. Exploring how different brain states accompany different life stages, Gopnik also makes a case that caring for the vulnerable, rather than ivory-tower philosophising, puts us in touch with our deepest humanity.
We try not to run too many ads, but this one is irresistible, from Creative Review:
Wagamama has taken a humorous approach to highlighting its environmental credentials in this new ad, which features a Godzilla-style monster rampaging through a city.
It turns out there’s a focus to Vegamama’s rage – she’s angry at how we’ve treated the planet and the spot sees her take aim at an offshore oil rig and skyscrapers. Only when she discovers that Wagamama has become the UK’s first high street restaurant to make 50% of its menu plant-based, does her ire cool.
Clearly inspired by Japanese movies in the kaiju genre, which most famously include the 1954 film Godzilla, the ad features retro crafting and nostalgic touches. The Vegamama monster suit was modelled in 3D and clay, before then being brought to life using foam, latex, and sophisticated animatronics, giving her the ability to move her face and eyes.
The spot was directed by Vedran Rupic.