Courtney Barnett; Harsh, honest and new
Debuts are often overlooked by many as a stepping stone to greater things.
Not for Courtney Barnett; her harsh lyrical wit and simple guitar riffs have already earned her a large following and critical acclaim.
Her album Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I just Sit is being presented to the public in what is probably the most unusual and artistic manner ever attempted by a PR company.
Marathon Artists is holding a public session in which the audience can experience the visual and audial talent of her album; using an eclectic mix of objects, music and space to represent an archetype for Barnett’s development. The exhibit is based on the song Kim’s Caravan which is in turn centred around a real caravan on Phillip Island, Australia. To represent this, there will be a caravan near Truman Brewery whereby members of the public can enter the structure and interpret the space inside as part of Courtney's album.
Forget surround sound or 3D, this incorporation of sound, sight and metaphor gives a heightened meaning to the phrase ‘unique experience.’So what will a viewer and listener experience in this small caravan? They will be encompassed in her world , surrounded by the objects that helped her develop as an artist and represent the point she has come to.
The album will play on continuously, and the caravan will represent a world in which Courtney herself is part of, having just left. You will be surrounded by her favourite and influential books, piled onto shelves and on top of an old fashioned record player. Walls will display posters that inspired the album title, as well as objects like a taxidermy fox will be sleeping on the bed, which will soon be the focus of her next single. All this very much echoes Barnett’s work; an exploration of self, a blunt telling of her experiences and being, a very stark reality into the mind of a brilliant and thoughtful young woman. The eclectic nature of the room also forms the claustrophobic feel of the album itself.
It will, the creators hope, lead the public to engage with their surroundings by ‘filming the space, record themselves sitting there listening to the album and take photos with the props.’ This will, once shared on social media, promote the album and discussion on what is ultimately, an album focusing on self-reflection and thought.
This will then, if all goes to plan, lead to a twitter hashtag, where people globally can experience the exhibit in real time. Whether you live in Australia or not, or even know of Barnett, this is definitely a new, inclusive idea in campaigning and advertising that deserves to be checked out.
“SOMETIMES I SIT AND THINK, AND SOMETIMES I JUST SIT”
