Fanfare for a Non-Place

We travelled on a bullet train across the industrialised and urbanised flatlands between Beijing and Shanghai. We filmed fast-growing towns and their residential topography expanding upwards in repetitive vertical patterns.

The vastness of this manufactured expanse prompted memories of Aaron Copland’s piece ‘Fanfare for the Common Man’ and Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s progressive rock rendition of it.

We entwined the train journey with ELP’s epic sound, building a visual narrative on its distinctive soundscape. As the music descends into the psychedelic realm and prog-rock takes over, the footage, in turn, delves into an infinite progression of look-alike non-towns. 

Watch the full video here:

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