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The Prophet' [Music Video] by The Chronicles of Manimal and Samara

The events of the recent years, and this really made us realise the vulnerability of human life and how fragile our systems and societies have become.

Furthermore, the recent advancement of new technologies has also increasingly redefined what it means to be human. In a world where even art can be automated through Artificial Intelligence technologies, it certainly raises questions regarding the future of human experience and creativity.

Drawing inspiration from the cinematic soundscapes of Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock’s natural horror-thriller films, ‘The Prophet’ is a musical tribute to Sylvia Plath's poem, 'Lady Lazarus'. Told through the eyes of a rogue AI who is ‘resurrected’ with a destructive super-intelligence to wreak havoc upon her human creators, the music film imagines a future where humans have lost all control over their own technological creations.

It is a warning that if we are not careful, we might find ourselves with a technology that destroys the civilisation that invented it — us.

However, the message of the film is not that AI is adversarial, it is more about highlighting a need to open up a discussion regarding the regulation of ethical use of AI technologies. It petitions for action and legislation to prevent this powerful tool from being used as a weapon against humanity and our environment.

At its core, ‘The Prophet’ essentially is an ode to human experience. It forces us to think about and treasure that one trait that makes us human - our capacity for creativity.
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Released on 26 November 2021, 'The Prophet' is the second single from The Chronicles of Manimal and Samara's forthcoming second studio album Trust No Leaders, due 2022. Created by the two artists themselves, the official video film was released on 2 December.

  • Daphne Ang
    Director
  • Andrea Papi
    Director
  • Andrea Papi
    Composer
  • The Chronicles of Manimal and Samara
    Musical Artist
  • Daphne Ang
    Writer
  • Daphne Ang
    Producer
  • Daphne Ang
    Lyricist
  • Andrea Papi
    Musical Performer
  • Daphne Ang
    Musical Performer
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental, Music Video, Short, Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Sci-Fi
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 28 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 31, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    200 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Daphne Ang, Andrea Papi

[Daphne Ang]
Born in Singapore and based in London England, Daphne is an artist, musician, and writer. Primarily an abstract painter, Daphne’s artistic interdisciplinary practice explores the intersections between the visual arts, the moving image.
Daphne is also the vocalist and lyricist for The Chronicles of Manimal and Samara (TCOMAS). Co-founded in late 2019 with Andrea Papi.
Prior to becoming an artist and musician, Daphne worked as an independent researcher, completing a PhD in the History of Art and Archaeology at SOAS, University of London

[Andrea Papi]
Andrea was born in Italy and now is based in London England, he is a surfer, musician, producer, professional chef and a painter (https://cargocollective.com/AndreaPapi), he investigates materials and how they behave.

[The Chronicles of Manimal and Samara]
Hailed as “pioneers of a new form of expression” through the performance of poetry in music, The Chronicles of Manimal and Samara (TCOMAS) are a UK-based duo comprising Daphne Ang (Singapore) and Andrea Papi (Italy) who came together in London in early 2020. Since their inception, the duo have steadily gained a reputation for their musical and lyrical innovation of incorporating the performance of poetry and theatre in their genre-defying music, welding together the pair’s combined strength in rock, metal, classical, electronica, and the traditional.

To date, the duo have successfully produced nine very well-received music videos and singles, their sixth single, Love in the Time of Pestilence, gracing the Spotify official playlists: Progressive Metal and The oTHERS, as well as having two full-length studio albums under their belt, with their debut album, Full Spectrum (released Feb 2021), and their sophomore album, Trust No Leaders, due 2022.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Daphne: “This song is our tribute to Sylvia Plath’s poem, Lady Lazarus. This poem was what inspired me to start writing my own poetry when I was 17, and since then, I always knew that I would recreate Plath’s poem in some form or another, whether it be in a performance, poem, or a visual work. The opportunity finally presented itself through our music. When I heard Andrea working on the music for this track, I knew that it was the perfect mise en scène for the return of Lady Lazarus, but in my voice and words.”

Andrea: “When I wrote the music for ‘The Prophet,’ I wanted to evoke the atmospheres of Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock’s natural horror–thriller films. I also had a storyline and scenery at the back of my head — a secret facility in a remote Arctic setting, hidden away by thick snow and shrouded by blizzards — which we managed to recreate in the music video. After we finished recording ‘The Prophet,’ we started to think about what the song meant to us, and what we wanted to say through the music video. We decided that we would use it to address Artificial Intelligence.”