The four-part La Maison Noir/ The Black House is a sublime visual feast that tells a transitional narrative of the artist’s life from one stage to the next, seamlessly weaving an imaged tapestry of his life from young Yannick Ilunga in the Congo to global artiste Petite Noir.
“The visual album is a reference to my personal Congolese cosmogram (Kala, Tukula, Luvemba and Masoni), a constant circular motion of the elements that symbolise rebirth. We all go through a rebirth every few years,” explains Petite Noir.
While the foundation story is that of the artist, the end product is a collaborative effort of the Noirwave – made up of director and creative director Rochelle Nembhard, dancer and choreographer Manthe Ribane, art director Gabrielle Kannemeyer, and Petite Noir himself, who provided the music direction.
The collective travelled to Namibia with production partner, Iconic, using the country’s varied aesthetic to highlight the four elements of the visual album – Fire, Earth, Air and Water.
Speaking of filming in Namibia, Nembhard expounds: “The idea of a desert is that of being stripped bare and speaks to how we are born with nothing; and was a representation of being true to self. The landscape of Namibia gives you different realities and plays with space. It’s sculptural with lots of form.”
The simple but wonderful costumes are made from flowing robes, each a colour palette representation of the four phases of the film.
Red speaks to the Fire element, white represents Air, Earth is symbolised by brown, and the Water is represented by the colour blue.
Petite Noir will also release a six-track La Maison Noir EP, which was partially recorded at the Red Bull Music Studio in Cape Town; where he has been recording since 2010.
The visual album will premiere on MTV Base (Channel 322) on September 28 and online on lamaisonnoir.com on October 5, 2018.
