Beliebers and Hipsters Unite in the Name of Jack Ü
I am not an artist in any way, shape or form. In fact, the idea of putting a paintbrush to paper gives me anxiety matched only by that of a teenager taking the SAT for the first time. I got a C in art class in high school, which is embarrassing, as I handed in all of my assignments on time. At 16, I knew painting would not be my calling. Therefore, before even arriving at the hip gallery/retail space the Seventh Letter on Sunday for Jack Ü’s collaborative art exhibit for their upcoming “Where Are Ü Now” music video, I was wrought with butterflies.
Crowd-funding projects can sometimes turn out to be a headache and more unorganized than a first-year music festival. Thankfully, Atlantic Records was on top of it, and getting into the exhibit was a breeze. A signature on the dotted line, a security guard making sure you were over 18, and you were in. As I entered, I saw cutouts of scenes—which will make up the eventual music video—ready for our best Vincent van Gogh interpretations.
Calling myself a Justin Bieber hater would be an understatement. With his gaudy tattoos, and the awful decisions made on what seems like a daily basis, it is hard for me to respect who he is. Yet there I stood, encircled with silhouettes of Justin Bieber, and for the first time ever, I thought about what it actually would be like to be the Biebs. The mind of Justin Bieber must be a scary place. Success, hate, beauty—all things that come with the burden of being the idol of tweens around the world. But the idea of toughness quickly escaped my mind as I remembered all the ladies he pulls and the money he has; not that tough, indeed.
Artists of all walks of life and skill sets gathered for an ode to the biggest pop star of our generation. Everything from lyrics of “Where Are Ü Now,” to smoke clouds protruding from Bieber’s mouth, to Instagram and Twitter fans sprawling out their @ all over the picture were on display in the gallery. All of this for the shot to have their unique scene featured for a mere second on the upcoming video.
Seeing Beliebers and hipsters cohabitate in a room is a unique and rare opportunity, bringing enough value to warrant the trip out to Fairfax on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. It was quite the sight to see teens in braces asking a man in head-to-toe streetwear to borrow the purple pen after he was done. And no, it did not mirror the blockbuster film released this weekend, San Andres, as it was all smiles for everyone involved. Scratch that: There were still parents waiting outside, shaking their heads and wondering how they got roped into doing this. The trials and tribulations of being a parent will always go grossly underappreciated.
As Justin Bieber is a man who can link his success back to a YouTube video, I find it fitting that Skrillex and Diplo chose this idea for the first single off of their debut album Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü. Depending on how deep you want to consider this project, you will unmask varying degrees of thought-provoking ideologies: a second of fame turning into a career; a singular art piece becoming a whole community; independent beauty in the commotion of everyday life; a dot on a segment of a forever timeline. Or, if you are prone to being a skeptic like this writer has become, a cheap way to gain PR and crowdsource a video for a song featuring a singer normally hated in the electronic music community.
However you view the stunt it, would not be fair to call it anything but a wild success. People were not only smiling—they were creating. The amount of content we digest needs to come to a better balance with the amount of content we create. And this exhibit did exactly that. Much like how I originally shook my head in disgust when I heard about the creation of a Jack Ü song featuring Justin Bieber, I judged this event too quickly. The song, which is actually pretty enthralling, has a perfect music video to back it now. Here’s to hoping your artistic rendition made the cut.
All photos by Nathan Beer.
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