When we add music to the architecture and cinematic cocktail, we can’t help but expect a result as enthusiastic as the video clip: a fresh and up-to-date format that is not only based on the promotion of a particular subject, but also increasingly succeeds in communicating it. and with greater success (mostly) certain feelings in a singular architectural space.
Among the most striking cases, it is impossible not to miss La Muralla Roja de Calp, the hero of the theme Do It Right, which Martin Solveig shot in 1973 in the legendary building built by architect Ricardo Bofill as an experimental project. The roofs, pools, stairs, bridges, walkways, nooks and crannies of this residential labyrinth set the stage for the French DJ in collaboration with Australian rapper Tkay Maidza.
Speaking of homage to the avant-garde, The Chemical Brothers’ video for their famous song Go is an exceptional case. Everything from the actors’ outfits to the locations on the Front-de-Seine in Paris reminds us of certain historical movements, such as constructivism, where the choreographies and shots of the video clip emphasize the retro character, but at the same time. radical futuristic.
Today, international stars such as British Dua Lipa continue to rely on the cinematographic qualities of their video clips for the value that architecture can offer. The best example can be seen in the collages and compositions made with light and colors in the video clip Physical, as well as the first song of the album Future Nostalgia shot by the famous Norman Foster at Skywood House.
We are also fortunate to have artists who make architecture the best showcase for their audiovisual productions in Spain. Singer Amaia Romero, together with singer Rojuu, recorded a video clip of the iconic – and happily recovered – Quiero pero no pieces at Madrid’s Zarzuela Racecourse, designed by architects Carlos Arniches, Martín Domínguez and engineer Eduardo Torroja; she is undoubtedly one of the greatest icons of Spanish rationalism.
However, if there is a musical artist who has contributed to making some of our country’s most outstanding architectural jewels visible, it is C. Tangana. Antón Álvarez, nicknamed C. Tangana, was to highlight masterpieces ranging from Spanish brutalist architecture of the 1960s to works that are hardly visited today (because they are residential and private) with his videos. The Church of Santa Ana in Moratalaz, by Miguel Fisac, for Too Many Women, Torres Blancas residential building, Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oíza for Los idiots, the España building, by Julian Otamendi, for Tú me no longer loved and by Javier Carvajal Casa Carvajal, which he wrote for Eat Whole, can give a good account of this.
In February of this year, C. Tangana – renamed El Madrileño – released its new single, La culpa, in collaboration with Omar Montes, Daviles de Novelda and Canelita. Directed by Santos Bacana (under the Little Spain label), the music video dives into Casa IV, the work of Mesura architecture studio, to recreate a place called Santa Paz, a “masculine integrative healing centre.” This extension of a single-family house built in 1984 in the heart of the Matola district in Elche was the ideal setting to recreate this “complex” dedicated to healing toxic masculinity, surrounded by leafy palm trees. Elche and the adjacent tennis court that functions as a detention centre. Undoubtedly, it has been deemed worthy of one of the most awarded houses in our city with such a popular music theme and such an artist staff.