University College London (UCL), in collaboration with creative agency INNOCEAN Berlin and audio production company DaHouse, has launched a pioneering project where bespoke songs have been created to help provide relief to the multiple symptoms experienced by people with Parkinson’s.
More than 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s, a number expected to double over the next 20 years. The “Tremors vs. Tremors” project focuses on the individual nature of Parkinson’s and how it affects each person differently. There are over 40 symptoms to the condition, many of them hidden from view such as anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and apathy, that have a big impact on an individual’s day-to-day life and can make the condition harder to treat.
Exploring the intersection of music, mood and movement, the project team measured the tremor of five people with Parkinson’s and composed unique songs with their tremor data embedded into the song’s core.
The project was led by neurologist Dr. Christian Lambert, a principal investigator at UCL who interviewed individuals affected by Parkinson’s and took recordings of their tremors. This was then sent to DaHouse, where the raw data of each participant’s tremor was transformed into a musical element and used to affect the instruments and melodies of the tracks. To ensure that each participant saw themselves in the song, the lyrics were based on their individual journey with Parkinson’s and the melody on their favorite music genre.
The songs had a positive impact on the participants. The reactions were as individual as their condition.
“I feel a physical change in my symptoms when I have an emotional reaction to things. And, there’s nothing more emotional than music that’s based on me,” said Kuhan, the participant whose song is called “The Greatest Day.”
Clare, whose encouraging song “Starlight Keeper” is about acceptance said, “It made me consciously let go of my hands, instead of holding my hand to stop my tremor,” adding “I just want to share it with everybody. Listen to this. This is me, this is my tempo, this is my tremor.”
Dr. Lambert describes the importance of the project: “In managing Parkinson’s, it’s not all about medications. There is a broad range of strategies and therapies available that can form part of a holistic approach to care that is tailored to the individual person. Our hope is that this project will inspire patients, people caring for people with Parkinson’s, and researchers to take some of this work further, to provide more ways to help understand, manage and treat the condition”.
Paul Jackson-Clark, director of fundraising and experience, Parkinson’s UK, said, “The Tremors vs. Tremors project is an innovative way to express people’s experiences of Parkinson’s and we are incredibly appreciative that the royalties from the album will go to Parkinson’s UK.”
The aim of “Tremors vs. Tremors” is to continue to raise awareness of the variability in Parkinson’s, while also highlighting the importance of a holistic approach to managing symptoms. The whole project is gathered on a dedicated website at www.tremorsvstremors.com, which tells each participant’s story and explains the process in more depth. The “Tremors vs. Tremors” album is available widely on all major music streaming platforms, like Spotify or Apple Music, and includes a limited edition of vinyl records. All proceedings go to Parkinson’s UK.
The “Tremors vs. Tremors” project launched during Brain Awareness Week (3/11-17) and at an online event hosted by UCL in collaboration with Innocean, DaHouse and Parkinson’s UK.
This five-minute documentary chronicles the project. The film was directed and shot by Marcelo Alves via production company STORIES2TELL GmbH.
CreditsClient University College London Agency INNOCEAN Berlin Gabriel Mattar, chief creative officer; Ricardo Wolff, executive creative director; Maso Heck, head of art; Jose Filipe Gomes, Pedro Lourenco, creative directors; Will Cega, associate design director; Fran Mišetić, Ailton Henriques, Leon Celay, Bianca Heusch, Marlon von Franquemont, art directors; Ana Žurić, Andy King, Javier Granados, Reinier Gorissen, copywriters; Sandro Aleksidze, Carlos Suárez, motion designers; Hannes Andresen, sr. producer & editor; Michael Endres, sr. producer; Julian Eichhoff, technical director. Web Development ARKx.cc / Tiago Canzian. Color Grade ACHT Studio Max Baule, colorist. Music Production Company DaHouse Audio Wonder Bettin, Lucas Mayer, Silvio Erne, music supervisors & music producers; Rodrigo Lemos, Tiago Abrahão, music producers; Rodrigo Deltoro, Tiago Becker, mix & master engineers; Donata Kramarz, Charly Coombes, Rodrigo Lemos, Gustavo Bertoni, singers; Ana Žurić, Fran Mišetić, Markus Thomas, Rodrigo Lemos, Wonder Bettin, writers; Markus Thomas, Rodrigo Lemos, Wonder Bettin, composers; Matheus Leston, developer/data analyst. Film Production Company STORIES2TELL GmbH Marcelo Alves, director/DP; Viktor Heinz, exec producer Luc Vrhovnic, 1st camera assistant; Bela Arslan, jr. producer; Mateus Leston, sound engineering & 3D; Katja Marie Penno, Ravan David Seiny, production assistants.
Director Gia Coppola Teams With Mejuri For “A New York Minute”; 1st Episode Takes Us To The Grocery Store
Mejuri, known for turning fine jewelry into an everyday luxury, has partnered with director Gia Coppola (The Last Show Girl, Palo Alto) and The Directors Bureau in Los Angeles, for the first time reimagining the brand’s story as episodic content. In a series of microfilms, co-created by Coppola and premiering following New York Fashion Week, Mejuri eschewed a typical celebrity campaign and cast us as voyeurs to a group of aspiring young women--real people, not actors--at the crossroads of their adult lives against the backdrop of New York City.
Titled “A New York Minute,” the series features five real-life friends, who include one perfectly imperfect heroine named Emma. The women celebrate ordinary moments and interactions which reveal, sometimes retrospectively, the extraordinary within the mundane. Adjacent to the brand’s own community, the 30-something year old cast includes Laura Love (Emma), Rebecca Ressler, Natalie Vall-Freed and Rozzi Crane. Mejuri’s jewelry makes an appearance as the best supporting actor.
“When I met with Gia and The Directors Bureau team, there was instant creative and personal chemistry and a natural alignment on the desire to push and blur the lines between marketing, storytelling, and the construct of what a ‘campaign’ could be,” said Jacob Jordan, chief brand officer, Mejuri. “Gia was able to push that idea into something that truly feels new and artful, with a realism and relatability that almost feels jarring. Gia was such a perfect collaborator and partner, someone I had complete trust in to be a catalyst for Mejuri’s values of celebrating women as their truest selves. I can’t wait for us to continue to tell the next chapters of this story.”
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