Composers of Biomimicry win Buma Music in Media Award
Last Thursday 20 May, during a special online edition, the Buma Music in the Media Award for 'Best Original Composition Experience' was presented to Thijs de Vlieger and Lavinia Meijer, the composers of Biomimicry. This short dance film is the result of a special collaboration between Dutch National Ballet and fashion designer Iris van Herpen and explores the symbiotic relationship between fashion and dance.
The Buma Music in Media Awards are distinctions that are awarded to composers and producers who have proved themselves in the previous year with their compositions for or use of music in media. The music composers and producers who were nominated in all twelve categories were selected and assessed by a jury of 28 experts. 'Best Original Composition Experience' is one of four new categories introduced this year. The other three new categories are 'Buma Award Best Original Composition in Video Games and VR' and 'Buma Award Best Original Composition in Podcasts'.
The jury consisted of, among others, Bob Zimmerman (composer, jury president), Stephen Emmer (composer), Claire van Daal (NFF), Jet Berkhout (NPO Radio 4), Marion Slewe (Film academy) and Susanne van Nierop (Adformatie).
Normally, the presentation of the prizes is part of the annual Buma Music in Motion, which takes place at the Tolhuistuin in Amsterdam. The event has a global reach and acts as a proven network linking composers and patrons. This year, due to the corona pandemic, Buma Music in Motion could not take place in its usual form. Therefore, the presentation of the Buma Music in Media Awards 2021 took place online.
Biomimicry
In Biomimicry JingJing Mao, grand sujet of Dutch National Ballet, undulates into liquescent shapes and transcends into graceful figures that reflect her myriad of movements. Oscillating between blur and clarity, JingJing Mao amalgamates with the desert backdrop. The dancer — symbolising strength and determination — finds herself in a future in which mankind, science and nature are closely interwoven. This is also mirrored in the music, composed by Thijs de Vlieger and Lavinia Meijer. Deeply rooted in dichotomies, the music encompasses subjects such as machines and nature as well as soul and control, while searching for unfamiliar synthesis in familiar organisms.
The concept of the dance film was based on the term ‘biomimicry’ — the design and production of materials and systems that are modelled after biological processes. In line with Iris van Herpen’s continuous pursuit to materialise the invisible forces that structure the world, the film focuses on the relationship between humanity and nature while showing the intersection of the two with infinite expansion and contraction.
