Matt Piet : City In A Garden : ears&eyes records: Trailer 1. Primavérité
MATT PIET

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Matt Piet
City In A Garden

Coming June 15, 2018
From ears&eyes records

Trailer 1. Primavérité

"The Groundhog Weeps In Silence"

It was April 19th, and although it was technically the 31st day of spring, the weather in Chicago seemed far from it. Snow had fallen overnight, and though at daybreak the sky was clear, there was something ominous about the sunshine illuminating icy sidewalks and leafless trees.

I had intended to make a short film, a trailer of sorts, to introduce the forthcoming ears&eyes records release City In A Garden. The vibe of that morning and the method I used to assemble the film (described below) informed the end result of what you see here.
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The small constraints that one imposes upon any creative process are paradoxically effective in generating creative output. The music I make is almost always improvised, but I allow myself to draw on small constraints (i.e. limited notes or scales, a harmonic or rhythmic concept) as they present themselves in real time. This allows for my creativity to be informed by structure in some way, but I allow myself to modify or abandon that structure at any time.

For this video (Episode 1 in a series leading up to the release of City In A Garden) I decided that limiting myself to certain constraints might be the best way to make a short film set to music from the recording.

I used an iPhone and MacBook to shoot and edit. The constraints I imposed upon myself to shoot and choose material were, at maximum:

- 25 minutes shooting time
- 20 shots
- 15 minutes of footage
- 10 clips

My aim was to work in a manner analogous to the way I approach improvised music: to improvise with particular regard to the self-imposed constraints I discussed. I began with no narrative intent, and if there is any thematic material, it was a result of what narrative premise I found in editing the quick morning jaunt from my apartment down Western Avenue and back. The bleak tone and frenetic edits relate to the music I selected, certainly. Additionally, if it isn’t obvious, I would like to note that what you see here is a black comedy, aware of its own ostentatious “artiness.”

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I love the city of Chicago, even at moments as cognitively dissonant as that morning on the 31st day of spring. I am happy to report that in the interim, as the end of this film suggests, the vibe has since brightened…

- Matt Piet, Chicago, April 24, 2018