Experiments in Colour and Shape

Bright Teaser Video With Pastel Colours And An Assortment Of Objects

Hailing from Paris, Akatre have developed a distinctive style since their inauguration in 2007. The style is uncompromisingly present in their new experimental candy-coloured video, Round 1, boasting 22 “effects” upon pastel-coloured backgrounds with arbitrary objects that are used in unexpected ways. It is as if the three artists are quite simply playing around, filming their adventures, and adding an intriguing soundscape that combines noise with synthesised bleeps.

Comprised of core members Valentin Abad, Julien Dhivert and Sébastien Riveron, the Akatre collective is a contemporary art studio that prides itself on expressing themselves in graphic design, photography, typography, video, artistic installation and musical creation for institutions in art, fashion, fashion, media and luxury. While asserting their right to self-expression and freedom to create, they are also dedicated to their clients and aim to please as much as possible. Round 1 is a teaser video for their client, Studio 13/16, a workshop to children aged 13-16 at Centre Pompidou Museum. “We wanted to make a short video but without text, more funny and more absurd with noises and loops,” they tell us.

We had a chat with the artists to find out more:

TP: What gave you the idea to make Round 1?
Akatre: We go the idea from out other video, as they are quite similar: Infinity, Coloured Version, made for mobile phones, where we make one hundred effects with food to illustrate our strange noisy track.

TP: What was your creative process?
A: We try to stay open to do things, and avoid censorship. Sometimes, we work on projects that require money, but, it does not prevent us to want to experiment on free or less visible thing.

TP: The music and sound design in Round 1 is really interesting. What influenced this choice of music?
A: We create our own noise and also the soundtrack for our films and all our exhibitions, because we have a lot of fun doing it. We need to create all the forms that are used and have a personal vision of sounds and soundscapes. The link between images and sound are a great interest to us.
Round 1 is just noise sounds, just as if it was in the moment.

TP: What is the effect that you want to achieve with this video?
A: We wanted to express ourselves. But if we can surprise people and make them want to go with us to different and experimental ways, we will be happy.

TP: What’s next for you at the studio?
A: Coming soon is a new video clip for a singer, new covers for musicians, three luxury bookmarks for FIAC, new photos for magazines and campaigns. And for our next exhibition, we produce a new piece of art, a little virtual installation and a new track.