Ever wanted to see a feature film about a Washing Machine? Well now you can!
One of Britain’s most celebrated composers has created a unique original score to accompany a 66-minute family wash cycle – for an arthouse movie which will receive its world premiere at Leicester Square in London’s West End on Monday.
Michael Nyman whose work has accompanied dozens of hits and arthouse movies, including Oscar-winner The Piano has composed the soundtrack to accompany a new feature film which turns the everyday drudge of the washing machine cycle into art.
The poetic monotony of the spinning drum and sloshing water are the sole focus of ‘Washing Machine.’
The film chronicles the full cycle, moment by moment, of Samsung’s QuickDrive washing machine, in this big screen addition to the canon of slow cinema treats.
Nyman has taken the commission seriously, although he admitted it was the “the most unusual, bonkers and challenging request I have had in many years”.
He added: “The idea of this intrigued me … putting a score to something so visually repetitive and prosaic. As a film composer you are frequently taking a cue from the drama on screen or interpreting it sonically, but here the challenge was to offset the mundanity and also enhance the hypnotic appeal. I have written a lot of music to manufacturing processes, but this is the most elaborate mechanical, mechanistic film I’ve been involved with. I’m interested in the mechanical process, the way that I create musical cycles which are based on repetition and variation and the correlation between that music and what happens in a washing machine process. I really want the music to be heard and I want the music to be loud, so I think with this project it’s man over machine.”
Nyman also pointed out that Ed Sheeran had this year sung about his bedsheets and two One Direction members – Liam Payne and Niall Horan – had referenced the topic. “Laundry may well be the ‘new rock and roll!’”
‘Washing Machine: The Movie featuring original score by Michael Nyman, premieres Tuesday 5th at Cineworld, London, Leicester Square.
We have two pairs of premiere tickets available, claim your pair by emailing [email protected]
