Yesterday at an Art Basel Hong Kong press conference, Takashi Murakami told the crowd that the art world is "full of zombies," himself included. Perhaps he was indirectly foreshadowing today's release of a Jellyfish Eyes theme song remix by Pharrell, starring him as an anime character in a world of robots, jellyfish, and pop music. The video, created by Murakami, also features Hatsune Miku, a "virtual idol" developed from vocaloid software who has a huge cult following in Japan.
This is the second time they've collaborated artistically; their first work together was a sculpture, Simple Things, that sold for $2 million at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2009.
Of the song, "Last Night, Good Night (Re:Dialed)," Murakami says, "Somewhere in the eternity of outer space, Pharrell, Miku, and the composer of the song, livetune, are describing my film Jellyfish Eyes to a seemingly heartless, robot audience. Somehow the film's message manages to reach the robots emotionally and cross the boundaries of time and space."
While zombies and anime characters are by no means the same, it's safe to say that Murakami and Pharrell haven't been getting a lot of sleep the past few months, as they continue to stay at the top of the music and art worlds. This month alone, Pharrell is on the first-ever cover of W Art, designed by Urs Fischer, and he's curated an exhibition titled "G I R L" at Galerie Perrotin in Paris that opens May 27.
Jellyfish Eyes is showing at select theaters in the U.S. through June 5. Watch "Last Night, Good Night (Re:Dialed)" below + the trailer for Jellyfish Eyes here.
