Grimes Is an Ethereal, Futuristic Goddess in Her New Video
Last year, in Grimes’s fantastical (and seemingly ironic) AI propaganda music video for “We Appreciate Power,” the Canadian-born artist looked ready for technological warfare. The amethyst-colored catsuit she wore was a far cry from her everyday fairy-like wardrobe. And while Grimes has combined those two stylistic impulses in the past—just take the leafy gown she layered over an appropriately superhero-style red latex bodysuit for the premiere of Captain Marvel this past March—with her new song and visual for “Violence,” a collaboration with producer i_o, she seems to be embracing her more ethereal roots.
The video which was directed by Grimes herself and styled by her frequent fashion collaborator Turner, finds the artist in a holy setting, sitting atop a white stone church pedestal, reading ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu’s treatise The Art of War. It’s only once she sets down her tactical reading material that you get a good look at the stunning Iris van Herpen gown, undoubtedly the centerpiece of the entire clip. The ethereal dress is a suminagashi-inspired piece from the designer's recent Fall 2019 couture collection. Suminagashi is an ancient Japanese ink-on-water marbling art, but Herpen’s technique is naturally a tad more futuristic: lines of dyed silk are laser cut then heat bonded to Mylar before being transposed onto gossamer tulle. Of course, Grimes managed to pull off the intricate design with otherworldly ease.
Originally Appeared on Vogue
