[SPOILER] CTB artistic & cultural inspirations

[elijahfan 25,154]

So now we've had some time to take it all in, I thought this could be interesting to sum up the different artistic and cultural references that may have inspired the Chromatica Ball. Here are some that Gaga confirmed, and some that I've picked up, but feel free to add to it and share your thoughts.

 

BRUTALIST ARCHITECTURE

This is no secret that the stage was directly inspired by brutalist architecture. I especially thought about the Salk Institute in California, designed by architect Louis Kahn in 1965 - the concrete panels on the side screens are identical to the ones on the building.

The backdrop during Replay also reminded my of a couple buildings: it depicts an upward movement inside some kind of structure covered in windows. The design itself felt somehow reminiscent of buildings like the Espaces d'Abraxas near Paris, a postmodernist housing complex made of high towers covered in identical windows and built by Ricardo Bofill in the early 80s. I also thought of the St Joseph's church in Le Havre, a completely bonkers architectural feat by Auguste Perret (mentor of modern architecture icon Le Corbusier), known for its empty high tower and stained glass vivid colors.

 

SILENT HILL

Something that a couple of members on here and I discussed in another thread was the possible influence from video game Silent Hill, especially the intro visual that could be reminiscent of cult vilain Pyramid Head. The bleak sound design and foggy visuals are also giving off SH vibes. Moreover, Gaga's and her dancer's outfits during Act 2 of the show strongly bring to mind the creatures' various bloodied skin-like garments. It's worth noting that Silent Hill is basically a city that physically reflects the inner demons and life traumas of the characters that dwell in it, which is a description that sounds pretty fitting with the show and Replay's lyrics.

 

NICK KNIGHT

So it's not news to anyone that photographer Nick Knight worked on the visuals for the tour, which he already did for the Monster Ball and the common aesthetic is definitely felt.

However, something you may not have noticed is that for the Poker Face backdrop, he re-used a scan he made of Gaga's body 12 years ago and made it dance through the magic of motion capture. Back in the days, this scan had been made to build a giant statue that was displayed on stage during Gaga's tribute performance to Alexander McQueen at the 2010 Brit Awards.

It's also worth mentioning that Nick Knight is well-known for his pictures of flowers, which is an aspect of his work heavily put on display during the Act 2 interlude.

 

H.R. GIGER

Something that I've picked up and haven't heard people talk about so far is Swiss artist H.R. Giger's inspired visuals during Telephone - he's known for his biomechanical designs, made especially famous in Ridley Scott's Alien, and the reference here is very obvious.

 

PARIS IS BURNING

Gaga made vocal reference to cult documentary Paris is Burning at the Paris show, and her look during Act 3 does feel like an obvious homage to ballroom scene pioneer Pepper LaBeija and this particular outfit featured in the film. Since Babylon is indeed an ode to New York ballroom culture, the outfit seems pretty fitting at this particular moment.

[Ladle Ghoulash 16,683]

The Haus of Gaga CAME THRUUUUUU with these references 

[PartySick 147,402]

Ugh it feels so good to finally able to click on these threads

Telephone did make me think of Giger, actually! Mixed with a cool face tracking scifi effect. It's a really aesthetically pleasing show

[Maxine Puth 9,053]

The ACT 3 look is so beautiful 

[Cruelty 5,889]

Thanks for collecting together all these references, it's amazing!

I'm not the first to comment on it, and it's likely coincidental, but the brutalist aesthetic also recalls Michael's History Tour a little:

[elijahfan 25,154]

3 minutes ago, NeonSkeleton said:

Thanks for collecting together all these references, it's amazing!

I'm not the first to comment on it, and it's likely coincidental, but the brutalist aesthetic also recalls Michael's History Tour a little:

Wow interesting!

[monstrosity 3,932]

5 minutes ago, NeonSkeleton said:

Thanks for collecting together all these references, it's amazing!

I'm not the first to comment on it, and it's likely coincidental, but the brutalist aesthetic also recalls Michael's History Tour a little:

Oh wow yes!

[Celloo Deng 53,822]

5 minutes ago, NeonSkeleton said:

Thanks for collecting together all these references, it's amazing!

I'm not the first to comment on it, and it's likely coincidental, but the brutalist aesthetic also recalls Michael's History Tour a little:

never noticed this!

this is probably a reach but the second-to-last interlude included a part that reminded me of these combined:

 

this part (timestamped):

 

[TheBadRomancer 949]

love this!

also she replied to a tiktok of silent hill about “the chromatica ball vs. the audience” so I think you’re spot on with that one.

[elijahfan 25,154]

49 minutes ago, TheBadRomancer said:

love this!

also she replied to a tiktok of silent hill about “the chromatica ball vs. the audience” so I think you’re spot on with that one.

Yes, that's actually what first prompted the discussion between other members and me!

[ProfessionalClown 10,645]

Gaga being the gamer I knew she was 

[Celloo Deng 53,822]

@elijahfan

This might be a reach, but the swirling synths in this interlude reminded me of something and it bothered me for ages that I couldn't think what it was. I think it might be similar to part of the A Clockwork Orange soundtrack, but I haven't watched it for like 10 years so I might be wrong. There's something familiar and eerie about this sound though. It starts at 0:14.

Edit: With the way she's restrained and wide-eyed in the start of this clip, maybe it's a loose reference to the scene at the end of the film where Alex is forced to watch graphic scenes with his eyes propped open?

 

 

[theARTVampire 3,573]

The stage literally looks like the german Kanzlerhaus 

[elijahfan 25,154]

1 hour ago, Cello said:

@elijahfan

This might be a reach, but the swirling synths in this interlude reminded me of something and it bothered me for ages that I couldn't think what it was. I think it might be similar to part of the A Clockwork Orange soundtrack, but I haven't watched it for like 10 years so I might be wrong. There's something familiar and eerie about this sound though. It starts at 0:14.

Edit: With the way she's restrained and wide-eyed in the start of this clip, maybe it's a loose reference to the scene at the end of the film where Alex is forced to watch graphic scenes with his eyes propped open?

 

 

Actually I get what you mean. It might not be a conscious reference, but that's definitely an image she's familiar with.

[elijahfan 25,154]

52 minutes ago, theARTVampire said:

The stage literally looks like the german Kanzlerhaus 

I'm not really surprised, I actually feel the tour has a very "Berghain techno party" feel, to the point where I've wondered if Düsseldorf being the first date had influenced in some way some creative choices.