A Story of the Kingdoms of the Moon and of the Sun - Pierre Hermé X Nicholas Buffe
I don’t know where to start with this one… I was completely blown away by this interactive story - the striking visuals, the story combination of fairytale and Greek mythology, and especially the music.
My one and only negative(ish) criticism is that this remarkable piece was created by/ for Maison Pierre Hermé. Now, Pierre Hermé is a renowned French pastry chef and yet this interactive experience has, well, nothing to do with patisserie. I still don’t fully understand how the two connect, but I honestly don’t care much.
A Story of the Kingdoms of the Moon and of the Sun is not action packed, nor a ‘game’ as such, but it allows the user to make simple interactions throughout the duration of this stunning story. I see no point in relaying the actual story when it is available to experience online for free (and it is absolutely worth it, in my opinion). But I want to talk about the art, and particularly the music, which held me from the very beginning.
Nicholas Buffe - a French multidisciplinary artist based in Tokyo - is the one responsible for the wonderful graphic work in this interactive world. I was deeply fascinated when I was researching Buffe and discovering the uniqueness of his work. For this particular collaboration with Maison Pierre Hermé, Buffe (as stated on his website) combines “a wide range of cultural materials such as Baroque ornaments, Renaissance grotesques, American cartoons, Japanese anime and manga are fused in his works – definitely dazzling for your eyes”.
The art is one thing, but the sound design is on a whole other level. As a musician, I am (and always will be) particularly drawn to sound and the music for this interactive experience is mesmerising.
Behind the Shadow Drops is the solo project of Japanese composer Takaakira 'Taka' Goto, formerly of instrumental band MONO and the music provided throughout the story is taken from Goto’s debut album H a r m o n i c, released in 2017. The Revue describes the album as “…blissful, exotic and unlike anything you will hear. One could say that he’s Japan’s version to Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, who, likewise, is always experimenting.” I think that about sums it up. I’m so excited that I discovered this incredible new musician - it even makes me wonder about my project and if I could do something more with it, particularly the sound elements…
Anyway, to conclude my review, I will just say this - each individual element is stunning in its own right, but together they create this truly beautiful interactive story experience.
Experience it here: http://pierrehermenicolasbuffe.com
The artist: https://nicolasbuffe.com/en/
The composer: https://www.behindtheshadowdrops.com/en/