Interview With Sphaèros

Recently I presented the latest of Sphaèros videos here on the blog. Now the exceptional artist has agreed to an interview.

Lovers of pulsating and psychedelic music will love Sphaèros. His solo project combines music, film and performance in a very special way.

Sphaèros has created seven pieces of music and seven films in seven days. According to his own statement he wants to let the spirits speak through it. During the upfront creative process he spent three years in an almost monastic environment and concentrated on his innermost being.

He wanted to create his personal vision of magic and reality. Artist friends supported him on working it out with the help of singing, arrangements and drums.

Anne: What is it about the Seven? Seven days and seven songs with seven films - that sounds pretty mystical.

Sphaèros: I recorded the seven songs in seven days total time for a moon phase to happen. As we know the number seven is a special one. Seven chakras. Seven days for a moon phase. The eye can catch up seven elements in one blink. The seven world wonders. Not to forget: Seven is the number of wisdom. For me the seven is now the good one, although my real number is trinity.

Anne: You've spent quite some time on your own, concentration on your inner self for this new project. Three years: for me it seems, that this is a lot of time for meditation. Have you always been a spiritual person?

Everything I do is music"

Sphaèros: Well, I didn't meditate for three years. I don't do casual meditation, cause everything I am doing is music. Sculpturing and making films has the power to put you in a meditation state. Anyway, I used to travel a lot, in all the way, body and spirit with the help of sacred plants and psychedelics of all kinds. This time of my life was the time to stop. I wanted to feel, how those experiences made my spirit clearer. To do experimental art - with the power of a clean and enlightened mind.

I don't see myself as a spiritual person, but more as an outcast outsider weirdo: I want to express any sensations while I'm on earth. I would say, there is spirituality in my way of living. And yes: I was born like that, but always out of any already setup things. I don't trust or follow anything like religion, gurus, traditional books or meditation. What I believe in are my personal experiences and feelings. I always wanted to learn everything about myself - with my own senses and in my own way.

Anne: Is there a higher spirit or power you believe in?

Sphaèros: It is very complex to answer this question. As we don't know where we come from, no one can answer to that. I believe in cosmic energy, dreams, reality and the power of natural elements. I love the concept of the human brain. It allows us to create and change any reality. I believe that every living thing is god. I believe in chaos, fire, infinity, old souls, space travel and love.

Anne: What helps you to be creative and create new art?

"Even sitting in a cell, wouldn't stop me from being creative"

Sphaèros: To be on my own. And my mind! I'm always in action. I never got this thing that people are talking about. This white page or lack of creative ideas. My mind never stops. I'm creating things all the time. Even if I was in a cell, I would carry on creating things. I'm very thankful and lucky about this.

I think, that all universe is inside us and we are our own masters. With this in mind, we can create anything - it will never stop. I would love to live 500 years to experiment and develop all the things that I have inside me. I am well aware, that I have not much time, so I spend most of it in my "16th century arched caves" underground world creating things.

Anne: How long have you been making music?

Sphaèros: I have been making art since I was a child and I think that everything I do, sculpturing, music, film, photography, is some kind of language. I never learned anything - I was always expressing it directly. Free form art with zero tradition, zero technic and zero school. Just my inside emotion and feelings. I like keeping things pure true and directly.

Anne: Which artists have influenced you most during your personal development?

"Nature is what inspires me most"

Sphaèros: Oh, there are many who blowed my mind: HP Lovecraft, Salvador Dali, Hieronymous Bosch, Tod Browning, Aubrey Bearsley, Alejandro Jodorowski, Kenneth Anger, Roman Polanski, Pierre Clementi, Beaudelaire, Antonin Artaud, Isidore Ducasse,Bela Lugosi, Hans Bellmer, Bruegel... I can go on and on. The most influential artist to me is to watch the nature - insects. mamals, plants. I like watching them grow and evolve. Their circles, shapes, sounds and how they communicate. I'm always trying to reproduce it in my way and make a mixture of it in my cauldron.

Anne: I can see some references to the 1970s in your art. Would you say this decade has particularly impressed you?

Sphaeros: Well, I am born in 1970. I do love the fact that people where experimenting in the 1970s. Mostly freedom. But I am much more fascinated about the 1880 till 1920s. And also the middle age period. Even the Cro-Magnon, Neanderthal and dinosaur period.

Anne: You are from Paris and you grew up there as an artist. What is special about the Parisian music scene?

Sphaeros: Well, I don't belong to a "scene" so I don't really know. I do love Paris for it's ancient history, museums, architecture and special atmosphere. I think that the music scene in Paris is really bad. Except in the old times with Barbara, Edith Piaf and Serge Gainsbourg.

Anne: You told me, that you are a very creative individual. Your mind never stops. What advise would you give to artists who are in a creative crisis and cannot manage to finish new ideas?

"Take a rest and enjoy life. Art will come back"

Sphaeros: I would advise them to let it go. Take a rest, do other things, enjoy life. Don't even think about art and it will come back. No hurry, no pressure.

Anne: How does the work on the new project differ from working with Aqua Nebula Oscillator?

Sphaeros: It differs, 'cause I've created the whole project on my own. From down to top with no pressure. All my creative essence is in it. It's like a Sphaeros Sphère. All images, music, poetry, sculptures, films - even the record cover - is authentically me. I wanted to have fun and create the most I could, to see the result. It was like some kind of a challenge. I only asked a drummer (Adrian Bang) to play on the recording. Besides that three persons read a poetry (Stephanie Swanquills, Machiavel Machina, Sylvia Shoshinski) and some friends of mine (Holly Carlson, Symphonie Monoton) danced on the videos. I created my art as if it was a book or a painting.

"Sphaèros is the new Aqua Nebula Oscillator"

With Aqua Nebula Oscillator there where much more people involved. We've had five different formations who always felt right. After the recordings I was so fade up about it.

Anne: Will there be new music from Aqua Nebula Oscillator some time?

Sphaèros: No, Sphaèros is the new Aqua Nebula Oscillator music now.

Anne: Your new pieces are complete works of art - including performance. Where can we see you live on stage this year?

Sphaèros: At the moment I'm working on creating the live act part. I don't put pressure on myself. I want to let the flow come. It will be soon this year.

Anne: Are you also already working on new pieces?

Sphaèros: Yes. As I said: My life is creation. So it will never stop till coffin time and I'm not even sure about this fact. Many thanks!

Sphaeros' current piece is called "Possession". It is the second pre-release of his album "Possession". It will be available from tomorrow (March 6, 2020) in record stores and on iTunes and Spotify.