When Johanna Gousett, an Illustrator from Belgium, called songwriter Luke Thompson in New Zealand about a potential collaboration, there was a connection that grew to include 14 artists from across the globe.
‘Look Out Your Window, Babe’ was originally released on Luke’s album ‘The Trials & Tribulations of Adam & His Seed’, but Luke could hear an alternative version, and the potential for other features.
“I was so surprised by this project. Johanna approached me and asked about using one of my songs. The thought of having a bunch of artists add whatever they felt on the song, both excited and terrified me,” recalls Luke.
The layers and hours of work ahead of them was unknown, but the energy of the potential to connect and create a magical piece was evident. Having spent months in lockdown and various restrictions across the globe, Johanna was craving to create with others.
“I called all of my favorite musicians, even the ones that I didn’t know, and was overwhelmed with the response” says Johanna. “By the end we had 14 musicians signed in, coming from every continent on the planet, and I was starting to wonder how I was going to fit so many people in a 3-minute-long animation!”
Gathering short performance videos from each musician, and drawing frames by hand, Johanna worked tirelessly in Photoshop creating layers and thousands of movements, around 12 drawings per second. While Luke produced and arranged the tracks’ sonic layers, featuring contributions from the fourteen musicians from violin, harmonica, harp, dulcimer, acoustic guitars, drums, percussion, bass and plenty of harmonies.
Eight months on, the collaboration is complete. At a time when the world needs it most, Johanna proclaims “I can’t predict what the future will be like but I hope it is filled with more connection and creativity.”
“Look Out Your Window, Babe” is out now on YouTube and all streaming platforms.