Kingdom is a visionary art film, co-created and directed by musician and composer Vincenzo Lamagna and fine art photographer Danilo Moroni. This cinematic experience is the embodiment of Lamagna’s album of the same name, and lives at the intersection of images, dance, and music.
An exploration of the dualities inherent in human existence, Kingdom confronts viewers with a dance of flesh and spirit. It portrays a compellingly raw tableau where the corporeal crosses paths with the ethereal, unearthing the tension between the raw physicality of life and the immaterial spirituality of existence.
Deeply rooted in the creators’ profound ties with the contemporary dance and ballet world, Kingdom unveils Lamagna and Moroni’s multidisciplinary vision, brought to life by some of Europe’s most exciting dance artists.
Listen to the album
About the artists +
Vincenzo Lamagna
Vincenzo is an Italian musician, composer and producer based in London. His music is known for its visceral, emotive and edgy language that utilises an unconventional hybrid of electro-orchestral sounds.
As well as his solo work, Vincenzo has carved a niche in the alternative contemporary dance world, where he has established himself as a major collaborator with some of the most acclaimed choreographers of this generation, Hofesh Shechter and Akram Khan.
His most recent collaborations include Akram Khan’s award winning 21st-century adaptation of Giselle for English National Ballet and Khan’s Until the Lions, which premiered at the Roundhouse, London in 2016.
His scores are a mercurial combination of acoustic and electronic music, recognised for their ferocious industrial undertones, haunting melodies and cinematic soundscapes.
Danilo Moroni
Danilo is a photographer and creative director based in Madrid, working between advertising and fine art. His work is characterised by a classic yet contemporary aesthetic, often with the use of black and white images which create a timeless feeling.
Danilo is currently working on a new photography project called Ilumina Tu Sombra, where is he merging his interest and studies in humankind, astrology and anthropology to create an experience of consciousness toward transformation and empowerment.
Alongside fine art, Danilo co-founded audio-visual production company Beyond Films, specialising in corporate and commercial films.
Cast & Creative +
- Vincenzo Lamagna and Danilo Moroni
Writing and Direction - Victoria Hoyland, Yeji Kim, Guillaume Pige, Sam Coren, Fausto Assuncao, Léa Tirabasso, Theo TJ Lowe, James Finnemore, Catherine Schaub Abkarian, Kim Kohlmann, Vincenzo Lamagna
Performers - Renaud Sanviti
Script - Danilo Moroni
Director of Photography - Karolin Novakova, Eva Escribano Olmo
Costume Design / Styling - Vincenzo Lamagna, James Williams for Exile
Editors
Special thanks to Sasha Milavic Davies, Marco Mignone, Katie Lusby, Victoria Hoyland, Jorge Crecis, Norman Jankowski, James Adams, Domenico Angarano, Yaron Engler, Paul Mosley.
Access +
Captioned
No audio description available.
A film with no speaking. The film is set to the album Kingdom by Vincenzo Lamagna. One of the songs, Exile, features lyrics in English.
The majority of the film is shot in black and white. The film is separated into different acts. The first is set to Birth, which features a silhouetted, naked figure trying to navigate a corridor, where the walls are lined with plastic sheets and the floor is covered in soil. At the end of the corridor is a white light.
The second part of the film cuts between different performers doing different things. One has plastic wrapped around his eyes as he lip syncs to the lyrics of the song. Another is wearing a dress made of plastic, emphatically moving her body. Others interact with soil and white chalk, running it through their hands, pouring it over their bodies, rubbing it onto their faces like war paint and writhing around in it.
The third part shows a naked woman sitting at a dressing table, in a room where the walls are covered in plastic sheets. She ties her hair up into a bun and mixes a thick black paste to paint around her eyes and on her lips, drawing a straight black line from her chin, then down onto her neck and the full length of her torso.
The fourth part of the film shows two naked bodies interacting with each other behind a plastic curtain.
The final part of the film is in colour, capturing the sides of skyscraper glass buildings and the sky.
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