For lifetimes, humans have understood mirrors as a universal symbol of vanity — a means to gaze upon thine own reflection and see what they like, dislike, and wish to change. In their new music video to "A Mirror," premiering today on PAPER, New York-based electronic pop musician Blew Velvet implores us to go a little deeper, beyond the skin and into the soul.
Have you ever considered that mirrors are also symbols for how we love and care for one another? To showcase this reflection, Velvet, who edited, produced, and directed the video on their own, enlists close friend, fellow New York performer and artist Charlene Incarnate.
The duo, clad in sexy stockings and matching ripped flannel, shares intimate space in a big room with abundant natural light. Together, amid a series of beautiful, free-flowing scenes, they fall apart and embrace, push and pull, dance and collapse — all to the tune of Velvet's pulsing blips and soothing vocals. The physical exchange is grounded by their tender, poetic lyrics: "I'll give what I get, like a mirror for you/ Some positive change/ But it's all the same."
In the video, Velvet makes their relationship to Charlene, and thus themselves, literal, through the process of movement. "We flail and pounce and thrash and exchange softness and harshness and evoke that same magic that has kept our friendship together over the years," they say. "The idea was to have her there as my reflection, not apart from me, but as a whole part of me. Charlene's glam and magnetism invades whatever room she's in, and that presence is definitely something I was excited to get on camera for this video."
Velvet continues: "Charlene and I have shared plenty of wild stories and at this point in my life I can affirmatively say that she has proven to be one of the most consistent sources of grounding along the way. In my lowest points, people like her have seen me there and have encouraged me to get back up; not by telling me 'get up!' but by reminding me of who and what I am, and showing me which direction I was heading in and helping me navigate back to my center."
Watch Blew Velvet's "A Mirror," below, the second video from their forthcoming debut project.
Photography: Rocco Christopher