Flow
Katie Gately journeys through a landscape of grief in ‘Flow’
Filmmaker Jola Kudela combines dramatic footage with digital effects in the stunning video.
On her latest album, Loom, Katie Gately responds to the tragic loss of her mother to cancer through intricate acts of sonic manipulation. Taking the sounds of howling wolves, screaming peacocks, slapping meat and raging earthquakes, the experimental musician weaves together an audio patchwork on an epic enough scale to approach her emotional turmoil.
“I felt like my world was being shaken,” she explains. “I was losing the person who created me, and it seemed an appropriate time to sample earthquakes.” ‘Flow’ was written from the perspective of her mother confronting her illness, the song’s lyrics exploring grace in the face of extreme suffering.
It was this aspect of the powerful composition that inspired filmmaker Jola Kudela to create the stunning visual accompaniment. “I particularly loved the tone and the subject of Katie’s song”, she explains, “it’s hauntingly beautiful, it’s about how to find peace in your grief and pain, and how to accept it.”
She continues: “As I was visualising the video, I imagined a sort of a journey of a spirit that doesn’t despair after death but continues its movement through the world.”
Just as Katie Gately manipulates sounds, Kudela manipulates dramatic footage of volcanic landscapes, snowy wastelands and dark waters to visualise the Gately’s journey of grief, from the micro detail of a windswept petal to the vast expanse of space.
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Jola KudelaDirector
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Katie GatelyMusic
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Houndstooth labelProducer
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Project Type:Music Video
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Runtime:6 minutes
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Completion Date:July 24, 2020
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Production Budget:5,500 GBP
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Country of Origin:United Kingdom
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Film Color:Black & White
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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FATMAG.comon line
United Kingdom
July 24, 2020
world premiere -
Digital ArsWarsaw
Poland
March 17, 2021
3th Award -
Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival 2020Los Angeles
United States
September 14, 2020
Finalist -
Los AngelesGlobal Network Pinewood StudiosLondon
United Kingdom
September 9, 2020 -
High Tatras Film & Video FestivalDolný Smokovec Vysoké Tatry, Prešovský kraj
Slovenia
June 13, 2021 -
Munich Music Video AwardsMunich
Germany
March 31, 2021
Semi-Finalist / Experimental Music Video -
Best Music Video AwardLondon, E1 4UJ
United Kingdom
January 31, 2021
Finalist / Female Director Music Video -
International Music Video AwardsLondon
United Kingdom
December 29, 2020
Semi-Finalist / Experimantal Music Video -
New York City Independent Film FestivalNew York
United States
June 6, 2021
Jola Kudela was born in Poland and now travels between Paris, London and Warsaw for various projects. Kudela graduated from the Lodz Film School (Masters in Animation and Visual Effects) and completed her training at the department of animated film at CFT Gobelins in Paris. She currently works as director, animation director and visual supervisor.