Available on all platforms June 22 2018
C O L L A B O R A T I O N
Using music as a catalyst to unite artists from all over the world, using different mediums to produce more than just music, but to make ART. Album art work, the 'OK' hand by Christina Stein (@copperspruce) was an extension of a series of watercolour hands that Kendal and Christina connected through.
"Kendal and I decided to collaborate on the artwork for her EP for a few reasons. She was into an illustration that I had done of a hand holding the moon. I’m really into drying hands because I think that hands are really complex visually and what we choose to do with our hands is really complex. She said that while writing she was being introspective and “sitting with herself as she was” and I really connected to that."
- Christina Stein Instagram @copperspruce
A B O U T T H E A R T
The OK hand gesture really resonated with me because I think that it’s really important to be able to sit with yourself how you are and to be OK with being uncomfortable in that introspection. It’s not so much that I think of it in terms of complacency but it’s more just allowing yourself to be where you are and being honest about that. Once you establish that solid ground it becomes a place you can stand from. as a mother and a perfectionist I really like the idea of the OK hand gesture to symbolize that introspection because what is celebrated and promoted in our in our culture and on social media is not always the full human experience. As a mother and professional I spend a lot of my time allowing myself to fail and fail publicly. I try not to judge my failings but to embrace them for what they are to learn from them if I can but mostly to allow myself to have complex human experiences that are maybe things that I can’t publicly celebrate but that’s OK and it’s OK to not be OK. So much of life is about living in chaos, not every moment needs to be perfect and that’s just part of being human.
- Christina Stein Instagram @copperspruce
HUMAN FEEL is a statement of the universal need for personal contact, emotional connection, and acceptance across cultural, ethnic, and gender boundaries. By addressing a very personal feeling of longing in an open and positive way, Kendal Thompson has created a call to action. Paired with a stunning video directed by Dylan Mitro, the message of Human Feel is clear: No matter who you are, what you are, or where you are, love and acceptance can define us as humans if we choose it.
I enjoy creating music videos because of their lack of boundaries, with an opportunity to express my imagination freely. I want explore and deconstruct the norm, presenting a dialogue that discusses the perspectives that are underrepresented in mainstream media. Focusing on a queer and gender positive representation. My style tends to lean towards a more abnormal narrative, whether it's adults playing spin the bottle or a room that is entirely silver. Working with Kendal was a pleasure and I was very thankful for the creative trust that I was given. The music video could not have come together without the collaboration of many talented friends who were all so devoted to bringing this absurd vision to life.
Human Feel is a narrative trying to playfully explore our first introductions to human connection. Some of us having that first interaction in a friendly game of spin the bottle. I wanted to flip the stigma of the hetero-normative way of thinking about "normal" romantic connections.
- Dylan Mitro