Created in the 180 Studios XR space at 180 The Strand, Actual Objects draws inspiration from Holy Motors and Under The Skin in this sci-fi horror ride starring Martyna Maja, the artist known as VTSS.
‘Notoriously Fast’ is producer VTSS’ latest journey into hell-for-skin territory, techno pop territory, arriving as the last of the four vocally-led emotional tracks that make up his debut EP for Ninja Tune, Circulus Vitiosus. With each chunk of the project exploring a different side of the multi-faceted character that is VTSS, ‘Notorously Fast’ finds the artist at terminal speed, gliding into the depths of the strange nature of his own pace without stopping to breathe. Teaming up with former Fact Resident Actual Objects for the track visuals, the Martyna Maja-born artist stars as an esoteric alien biker and a sinister sea siren in a biker chase, a nighttime chase that sees the roles of hunter and prey become obscured from one another. Taking inspiration from modern classic Leos Carax’s Holy Motors and Jonathan Glazer’s stunning Under The Skin, Case Miller, Claire, and Rick Farin seamlessly blend live footage, CGI-aided imaging and AI to create a high-speed fever dream filled with sci-fi horror. fi and deep surrealism.
“The whole process was fast; it was a fast-forming friendship between the three of us, a quick collaboration that came together in just a few weeks, and the video features me riding a motorcycle, so it really fits the brand with the ‘fast’ narrative,” explains Maja. Filmed using the XR Stage at 180 Studios, ‘Notorously Fast’ makes use of a pre-configured virtual environment, where physical effects can be captured, often imperceptibly. “Sometimes we want to remind people of how we change certain environments and spaces by leaving something that breaks the illusion and shows our process,” says Claire Farin. “For example, in the ‘Notorously Fast’ video, the XR stage we used in the studio turned out to be much more realistic than we ever imagined, so we left a shot where Martyna and the background were out of sync and clearly visible. he’s not physically and literally riding a motorcycle along a highway tunnel.”
“With this video, we’re really trying to play around and blur the line between what’s real, where it’s shot, and how it’s made,” Rick continued. “We want people to question where things are going; is this a liminal space? Is it all CGI? It’s about the push and pull between nature and technology and how the two are not always separate. It’s all sort of lumped together, which is something we do with all of our projects.” Seeking to break down the distinction between technology and nature, in ‘Notorously Fast’, Actual Object constantly blurs the digital and the physical together, as if the sheer speed at which this facet of Maya’s character moves allows her to switch between states, from hunted to hunter, from NPC to avatar, from Martyna Maya to VTSS.
‘Notorously Fast’ is taken from Circulus Vitiosus, now out in Ninja Tune. You can find VTSS on Instagram.
For more information on Actual Objects and their work, find them on Instagram or on their website and check out their Fact Residency. Interview by Claire Mouchemore.
Fast Famous Credit:
Creative Direction – The Real Object
Director – Rick & Claire Farin
Producer – Isabel Levin
Art Director – Case Miller
Setting – Fairy Rosenzweig
Makeup Artist – Echo Seireini
Motorcycles – Sam Denniston & Adam Faires
Management – Modern Problems
Filmed on the XR stage at 180 Studios
Backed by Facts
Watch next: Natália Trejbalová leveled the Anthropocene on the Isle Of The Altered Sun
