Tate Reframed, 2021. Celeste, Production Design by Jabez Bartlett, Dress designed by Sarah McCormack. Photography: Fola Abatan.
- Tate Reframed premieres today, featuring performances by top new music talent: Celeste, Bree Runway and Steam Down
- Each video is inspired by an iconic work of art from Tate’s world-class collection – from Salvador Dalí’s Metamorphasis of Narcissus to Samuel Fosso’s African Spirits
This month, Tate Collective launches a new series of filmed performances with three of the most exciting acts in UK music today. Tate Reframed sees three Universal Music UK artists give intimate live performances in specially designed sets inspired by iconic artworks from Tate’s collection. Celeste, Bree Runway and Steam Down have each selected an artwork that resonates with their own creative practice, now brought to life in these exclusive new videos. Released fortnightly throughout June on Tate’s website and YouTube channel, the series shows how creativity has no boundaries as music and visual arts intertwine.
The videos remind us that although the past year has been incredibly challenging for artists, the UK has a thriving cultural scene that offers inspiration to all. Tate’s world-class collection, once more open for all to visit in Tate’s four galleries, takes on a new form in beautiful backdrops designed by teams of young creatives for these one-off performances.
Launching today, Celeste plays Not Your Muse in a surreal, Dalí-inspired landscape, referencing the artist’s much-loved painting, Metamorphosis of Narcissus 1937. In 2019, Celeste won both the Brit Award for Rising Star and the BBC Music Introducing award for Artist of the Year, and she was also named the number-one predicted breakthrough act in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2020.
On 16 June, Bree Runway takes her single Hot Hot to another level in an energetic performance on a set inspired by the radical feminist photomontage of punk icon, Linder. Runway was nominated for BBC Music’s Sound of 2021 and MOBO’s video of the year in 2020. She has previously collaborated with the likes of Missy Elliott.
Finally, on 30 June, artist collective and music community Steam Down come together for a spectacular group performance of Empower, framed by Samuel Fosso’s African Spirits. Steam Down are based in Deptford, South-East London and their cult weekly live music events have established the group as a household name in London’s music scene. They have received two Jazz FM awards including The Innovation Award and they are set to release debut EP 'Five Fruit' on 24 September 2021.
Celeste said "There were many reasons why I chose this piece. It has an abundance of visual stimuli all of which were very inspirational in the conjuring of the set design and bringing that together with the music, the performance and the clothing. The dress I wore was designed and hand made by Sarah McCormack, I chose her as I thought the textures and layers in her garments would work very well alongside the smouldering and eternal landscapes by Dalí. I also chose this painting because of a fascination that I had recently developed around the flower in the painting “Poets Narcissus”, a type of Daffodil that some of the classic literary giants such as Sylvia Plath have written about in their work. It’s meaning and representation allured me and I thought it would be a great focus for the set design by Jabez Bartlett.”
Ahnanse from Steam Down said “For me, as a musician who looks at sound and how it represents ideas, it’s really interesting to see a visual artist, Samuel Fosso, bringing those voices from the past into the present. It’s so important to show that there are representations of the past that have succeeded despite the problems that they have. Empower is really about confidence, the music inducing this feeling internally within you of power. I think Fosso did that really well visually.”
Bree Runway said “The work Untitled by Linder puts an interesting, humorous spin on stereotypes, which feels so current. Her message is based around female empowerment and the spirit of her work is very DIY and punky, and that is everything Bree Runway is – cutting and pasting and putting things together just as she has in her art. I really love the camera element to her artwork, that’s something that really stood out to me and we’re playing with this in the video. The cameras surrounding me on a podium reference a thousand things – how women are constantly observed, the obsession with fame and paparazzi and how does one navigate through all that. I don’t need to be sexy for you, I can be anything – half-sexy, half-hoover, whatever!”
All costumes and set design have been created exclusively for these performances in collaboration with emerging UK-based creatives. Celeste’s Dalí-inspired scene came together thanks to stylist Ella Lucia, fashion designer Sarah McCormack and set designer Jabez Bartlett. Rebecca Davenport created her beautiful make up look with James Catalano on hair. Bree Runway collaborated with stylist Holly Wood, Seraiah Artistry on hair, make up artist Bernicia Boateng and set designer Ranya El-Refaey of Vision Artists, to emulate Linder’s punk ethos. Steam Down’s striking monochrome Samuel Fosso-inspired set was created by Jimmy Van Twest and Sarah Asmail, alongside stylist Ola Ebiti.
Each music video will be released alongside a behind-the-scenes interview with the artists, sharing insight into the process of choosing the artwork that inspired each set and exploring the value of the visual arts in their work. For more information please visit tate.org.uk/reframed.