The Lancashire folk experimentalists Harp and a Monkey have just made public the fruits of a recent short film collaboration with the animator Mark Mason and BAFTA award-winning director Brian Trueman MBE.
The work is a study of the influence of Japanese art and culture on the creations of Vincent Van Gogh, using the artist’s own letters to friends and family as the basis of the project. The film has now toured the international awards circuit and has become part of an educational package being used by a variety of leading art institutions. Watch it below:
Andy Smith, the northern folk and storytelling trio’s banjo player, electronic specialist and engineer, explained: “Mark Mason is based in Lancashire and a bit of a fan of the band and we were familiar with his work, so when he approached us about the project we didn’t have to think very hard about it.
“When Mark told us that he had got Brian Trueman onboard – the creator of many of the children’s TV programmes we grew up with, like Chorlton and the wheelies, Jamie and the Magic Torch, Danger Mouse and Count Duckula – it was a total bonus. The guy’s a bit of a legend to us!”
Harp and a Monkey provide the instrumental soundtrack for the film and admit that it has given them a taste for further soundtrack work, as well as inspiring plans – already well advanced – for further collaborations with Lancashire-based artists whose work they admire.
Formed in April 2008, Harp and a Monkey’s innovative approach (including the use of field recordings, loops, backing tracks and modern electronica in their recordings and live shows) initially raised eyebrows in some sectors of the folk world, but the outfit, who are regulars on the live circuit, have since been embraced as true innovators.
The band’s unique approach and commitment to making traditional songs and stories more accessible to the wider public has seen them undertake numerous projects with the Arts Council and leading national galleries and museums, while their ongoing work to mark the centenary of the First World War has won applause from both populists and academics.
The Lancastrians, who are presently on an autumn/winter tour, will release their much-anticipated fourth album in spring 2019. We’ll be bringing you more news on this soon.
http://www.harpandamonkey.com/