♪ Muse ♪ - Winner Announced!

"The basic human need to be watched was once satisfied by God. Now, the same functionality can be replicated by man. This is the tale of a voyeuristic consumerism nightmare."

Explanation

Spoiler

Human.
What is human..? What does it mean to be human..?
The lone figure stands within dark, within shadow. She yearns to know, to understand. How does one become human?
What is humanity? What does it mean to show humanity? What is human?
Are all humans made of flesh, blood, skin, a heart?
Can one be alive and not human?
Can one be human without being alive?
Such thoughts trouble the young woman.
Woman?
No, perhaps that term doesn't work for her. She is...female, that's obvious. She has eyes, a nose, red lips, short messy locks. But inside..? Nothing human is there.
She has no heart, no blood, no veins. She does not bleed, she does not speak. She does not feel.
She is a cold, lifeless machine. She is not human. She wasn't born to human parents. She never had a real family. Her only connection to the outside world was through the people who brought her into the world with experiments and inventions, her home was a laboratory.
She was made to be a killer machine; one who obeys without a word, one who does not feel.
A machine.
Not human.
No one expected the young 'woman' to be anything but a robot. Being human was never an option for her.
Still, the 'woman' ponders, and has thoughts about being human. She is not without thought, she is not without emotion.
She is not a lifeless, mindless robot. She is not exactly human either.
Instead, she's something in between.
There are tears. They fall down her face silently. If she had a heart, it would surely break. If she could speak, her mouth would be open with sobs and screams.
There's pain within.
So much pain, and feelings she cannot explain.
Is this what it means to be human? Is being human always this dark, lonely, and confusing?
Is being human nothing but pain, and suffering?
She does not have an answer.

Explanation

Spoiler

To Me this song came across as someone wanting acceptance no matter what others think and showing they are HUMAN........and They can do what they want dress as they want express themselves as they want be who they are INSIDE and just be themselves

Explanation

Spoiler

I hope what I was trying to convey is clear, if not think "Amsterdam." I ran with the artist's explanation that the song was about 'voyeuristic consumerism.'

Explanation
What is it to be human?

I've only been here one time

It’s passing me by
Been in and out
And in front of my judgmental eyes
My precious disguise
Business so cold
Can’t cope with my own
How to not fail

A constant state of second guessing, of re-examining oneself. Of feeling out of control, but being ones own master. The rest of the song sums up the components of a human, but this part feels to be more about the mind. We're more than just flesh and bones, we're self-aware beings, and it's not just ourselves that we are aware of, it's the passage of time, and our own mortality.

The plumbob is yellow, because we're not always in a perfectly happy state, there's always something to cause worry, and table top Trash has the body language representing concern. The clock is the constant reminder that time is passing, to the top right is the reminder of mortality.

God-like Trash is the representation of the sense of self, he's the thought in the back of the mind, constantly reminding of when things have gone wrong, the little voice of doubt that butts in on your ideas.

In short, to be human is to battle the internal struggle, to live life from inside your own mind, a place where no one else can exist. To be human is to be aware that you are in control of your own existence, and it's up to you to do as you choose, in the short time that you have to live, because this is the only time that you're here.

Explanation

Spoiler

I read the article posted and the part that stuck out to me was, "Sevdaliza has fused the power of sexual desire with the anxiety of being different to make for a beautifully dark, twisted piece of art". I also used the quote posted at the top of the assignment, "The basic human need to be watched was once satisfied by God. Now, the same functionality can be replicated by man."
So in the assignment Stella is not wearing much and being lusted over by these men, but she is in control. Her pose is confident, despite her scars and imperfections.

Explanation

Spoiler

The phrases "Where I am, I will stand alone, I don't need the money. I don't want for much.. these two hands never will they mourn" AND " I'm the dancer of the dance, Let the socialites in her hands, let them love me when i'm not around".... So pairing that with the overall jazz and swing tone of the song... I envisioned a aging jazz singer alone in a moment of thought, thinking that she's had this career for a while and thinking about maybe leaving the "lounge life" and letting a new starlet take over in her place...

Explanation

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My inspiration for this song was mainly with the lyrics about her being alone, and how she felt more comfortable with 'mannequins'. So, I tried to show Megan posing/dancing with mannequins beside her; could be interpreted as actually being there, or imaginary.

Explanation

Spoiler

Even all the Lyrics Made me think of her this way.
I See her Loving her Passion for Design so Much..That she even brings it home to her home studio She is Most comfortable and Happy and Passionate doing what she LOVES...No matter the Money or Whom She Might Impress It's Her Passion that drives her! When it says these two hands will never mourn -- I take that as She will always be a designer using her hands to create beauty! Even in Solitude....Here she is in her Home Studio Happy with what she is doing Submerging herself in her Designing and Creating...Even if its Designing at home or wherever it may be travelling and Showing her Pieces at Grande Fashion Shows...She is Cold to the Public and people around her only seeing her as a Famous Designer not as a Human that needs to be seen as much more... She feels empty when She is around the Public but at home she feels comfort in her surrounds making her masterpieces for the world to see....It's as if the Public and All eyes on her and what she is famous for drives her to solitude! & She will always dress in her own Fashion Designs..It's so easy for her to forget where she's gone and looked at as Only Famous.... Solitude is where she is happy... It's evident she has been hurt and turned COLD to her Admirers....because of them not seeing whom she really is....

Explanation

Spoiler

This is my take on an interpretation of the lyrics in combination with who the artist has said the song is about; Madame Grès aka Alix Barton. She was a scrulpter, painter and above all a Parisian fashion designer who invented the art of draping in the Grecian/Roman style of dress. She was said to have used her sculpting background to mold her designs to the bodies of her clients.

She was very protective of her personal life and had been described as cold in her demeanor. In later years she retreated to her studio and mostly led a solitary life. When she died, no one knew about it for a month after her death.

Taking the lyrics, "I'll take hours to perfect, in this room of disconnect. All I need are mannequins and me," I picture a woman who is an obsessed perfectionist that has gone a little insane. She feels disconnected from normal humans having pushed them aside with her aloof attitude and views her mannequins as her only true 'friends.'

Added to that the lyrics, "Where I am, I will stand alone, I don't need the money, I don't want for much.... I'd rather you not love, before you want too much," tells me that she feels that her fame and the attention she gets from it is smothering, she's a loner. She has all that she needs already from her fortune, but it doesn't mean much to her. She'd rather spend her days locked in her studio chasing a dream, the perfect dress.

Unfortunately, in her eyes, her designs are never perfect. But, when the lyrics say, "these two hands, never will they mourn," I think she means that she's not really unhappy about them not holding a loved one, because they were used to create her masterpieces. So don't feel sorry for her.

Later lyrics, "those who cherished me will not let them forget," I believe speak of her desire, despite being a loner, to be loved and not forgotten, remembered for her work. The ones who cherished her, were her dresses, her babies, her ultimate legacy. Although I guess it could mean her clients as well and those who tried to emulate her style.

To sum up my entry, it shows a famous fashion designer who is a loner, obsessed with creating the perfect dress. She's locked herself in her
studio and talks to her mannequins. She's quite insane, she wears her own designs because she loves beautiful clothes and enjoys admiring herself in the mirrors as she works. Deep down she hates being perceived as cold and vows to leave a legacy behind that will make everyone remember and love her. If not for herself, at least for her brilliance.

The statues represent her love of sculpting and the Grecian/Roman style of dress and the fashion sketches are real designs by Madame Grès.

Explanation

Spoiler

It's a Trash Special: Ironic.

When your passion is fashion, fame comes with it.
Yet, even though his face is everywhere, his fans don't seem to recognise him on the street (even while carrying a bolt of cloth). And if you don't make it to the very top of the industy, someone new will take your place, and you will fade into anonymity.


I had no idea what I was doing with this one, I just made a pretty street scene, that felt like it fit. :p
Then I played around with adding in the cloth. And liked the look of the whole thing, so kept it.
(Yes, the bags and signs do say Trashy)

Explanation

Spoiler

I wanted to do something a bit different for this song. I just closed my eyes and listened. The first thing that came to mind was Stella singing in a smoky French café. Also, I know that Caro has a very vintage style about her, and so I styled Stella in a similar fashion.

Explanation

Spoiler

I really latched onto the dead/ dying aspect of the song with the "changing/spinning" and the end verse seemed really dark to me...
-
I feel so cold
The sweetest stare
My wool filled eyes
Your hollow care
A tiny game of truth or dare
I’m changing, I’m spinning
Uh, morphogenic
I’m webbing I’m morphing
Uh, morphogenic
I’m hungry, I’m thirsty
Uh, morphogenic
I’m tired, I’m wasting
Uh, morphogenic
-
And I kinda combined spider-lover with kinda a vampire-y aspect lol sorta with and went with a vampire victim...
-
She floats so soft
Inside his web
My spider lover
His useless head
-

With those to sets of ideas I envisioned a vampire victim dying and in the process of loosing their life essence, or their soul/what makes them human

In VERY simple summation: I though of someone dying and becoming a vampire and their life's soul trying to cling back onto them... LOL!

Explanation

Spoiler

So, the lyrics I decided to focus on were 'She floats so soft..Inside his web, My spider lover,His useless head
I told you not to touch my bed'

From these lyrics, I interpreted that the song could be about cheating. 'She' being another woman, 'inside his web', being with him, 'I told you not to touch my bed'= I told you not to cheat/have someone else in our bed.

'I’m changing, I’m spinning... morphogenic, I’m morphing'- Megan in my image has literally morphed/changed into a dark form filled with rage and hate. She's spinning out of control, and has lost herself because of her anger/jealousy.

Explanation

Spoiler

She is Purely His Possession and Captive ... He has seduced her to the point She cannot deny it thus her Morphing to exactly what he wants her to be for him... Talking about her Wool Filled eyes as if She cannot get out of his seduction...and and Meaningless "Hollow" Stare! She cannot deny he has her in a "Trance" to the point She is no longer herself ......She is Hungry, Thirsty, Tired and Wasting because He drains her inner being! So she succumbs to his needs because he is weakening her to her "Core" ... I see him as a "Creature" a "Monster" Or even Just simply a Seducer!

Explanation

Spoiler

Since my original idea for this round had already been used, I decided to to come up with something else. So, here's my alternate story of what the song lyrics mean to me. It's a bit of a twist from what you'd expect since the main character is actually the 'tiny moth.' I hope it makes sense and that you notice the bits of symbolism I incorporated into the edit.

It's about a petite (a tiny moth), but fierce, cool and confident (wrapped in lungs, got my armor and I got my gun) dark beauty having an affair with a gorgeous man who is somewhat of a player (she floats so soft inside his web, my spider lover). He's not very smart (his useless head), but she doesn't care. She's not interested in his intellect. ;)

They have a mutual agreement the affair is nothing more than sex, and neither one should try to get closer or have any contact other than for the purpose of setting up a time and place for their lovely romps in the sack. Hence, she tells him quite forcefully to never call her 'hun' because it's an endearment meant only for true lovers.

After a few years, she gets tired of their arrangement, despite his allure, and wants more. She decides to try to find the love lost for her husband so they can start a family together. Her biological clock is ticking. She feels like she's wasting her life, just spinning her wheels and tries to end it with her lover. (the chorus)

She thinks it's over, but he comes to her house (I told you not to touch my bed i.e. come anywhere near my home) and blows her mind (you blow my brains) by telling her he's in love with her. Her husband is at work, but due home any minute. She's able to get rid of him by promising to meet him later that night at one of their secret hideaways to discuss it.

When she arrives, she lies and says she's had a change of heart and is willing to leave her husband for him. He's overjoyed and they fall into bed together. Afterwards, she tells him she brought a bottle of champagne to celebrate and gets up to pour them a glass. As he lies in bed watching the moon rise over the ocean, she slips poison into his glass. (I'll blow my cool) They toast their love and he immediately feels sick. He runs to the bathroom and makes it inside before collapsing dead on the floor.

She gets dressed, checks to make sure he's truly gone and then a bit shaken by what she's done, she stumbles out of the bathroom to the empty bedroom. But she quickly regains her cool and calmly walks away with menacing dead eyes to her car. (You know I can't play by the rules)

Explanation

Spoiler

Each time I listened to the track, I got the same imagery.
A spider in it's lair. It builds it's web, and just waits for it's prey. It doesn't actively hunt, it just waits. The music, and the lyrics have the feel of a hidden threat, and possesiveness, like a spider.

Explanation

Spoiler

None

Explanation

Spoiler

So, for starters I thought of and interpreted these lyrics as someone who has lost their love OR that they themselves are the lover that's lost.
-
Where are you now
Was it all in my fantasy
Where are you now
Were you only imaginary
Where are you now

Atlantis
Under the sea
Under the sea
Where are you now
Another dream

So, moving on. I thought the 3rd verse was REALLY powerful and it made me think and come up with this idea of someone who is kinda in a suspended animation... like a coma... and I love this verse its honestly REALLY thought provoking when you read it...
-
I'm faded
So lost
I'm faded
These shallow waters, never met
What I needed
I'm letting go
A deeper dive
Eternal silence of the sea
I'm breathing
Alive
-

So in summary, I envisioned a lover who has been in a accident/incident that puts her in a coma while, and she is not with her lover due to her being in a coma. Also, I wanted to represent that she is in this catatonic suspended state in her mind, underwater, and unable to be with her love and is alive to an extent, but also not alive because she's in a catatonic coma unable to do anything....

In BASIC, BASIC terms, I envisioned a woman who is in a coma unable to be with her lover and in state of suspended animation.

Explanation

Spoiler

Megan is mourning the loss of her relationship. She's filled with despair, and now wonders if her love was truly real, or a figment of her imagination. Either way, she's sad, and faded; within the ocean.

Explanation

Spoiler

OK I did a Foggy Atmosphere With the Sea Showing him "Lost" to Her...and Her Crying for Her Lover-- Not understanding Where he is -- Why he left -- Why She Can't see him -- I see her thinking with the Lyrics Was it Imaginary or Even Real... Maybe Just a Fantasy...because the Love she felt for him to me was Something She had never Experienced and With him gone She is Fading ( Losing herself and so Distraught that She can only believe it was Not Real at all because Why would he just Disappear ) With the Lyrics the Monsters running Wild inside of me .....It's as if that means She is so Hurt! and too with the Lyrics These Shallow waters never met what I needed She Knew he was not good for her or else he would still be there with her but wanted him to be because she truly was in love and Also with the Lyrics "Another Dream"
It seems she has been there before Hurt by another With "I am letting go a "DEEPER dive Eternal silence of the sea..
I am breathing Alive....Means to me She is seeking more than what she has been given by Other Lovers....It seems to me She has been hurt so much She is Simply "Faded" at the thought of Having someone really really LOVE HER

Explanation

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None

Explanation

Spoiler

I found some really dark themes in this one.
Someones lover was stolen by the sea.

At first I was going to go with a lover lost at sea, but somehow, I was also getting the feeling that maybe it was more self inflicted. The guy with the wings is the lover left behind, we don't see his face, and I've tryed to portray loss in his posture. Trash is the lost lover, I've tried to make him seem depressed, contemplating a non-existence, and in a twist on the lyrics, he's the one who is faded, he's the one swallowed up by the sea.

There's cracks on the wall, and cobwebs, and the overall image is intentionally a bit washed out, a bit faded, but the picure on the wall isn't, it's from a happier time.

Explanation

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None