ELASTIC HEART

I wanted to compose a post today on the concept of art. Specifically, art when referring to music, and the choreographing behind videos. Even more specifically, about the ever so talented musician Sia, and her recently released video starring actor Shia LeBeouf and child dance prodigy Maddie Ziegler. This video has caused massive uproar in the music world and in the media, due to it's emotional, and personal nature. I understand that everyone has differing opinions when it comes to hidden meanings, however when people automatically cry "Paedophilia!" when they view a man and young girl interacting beyond what the public are comfortable with. LeBeouf and Ziegler are both professional artists, one a well-reknowned actor with years of experience, and the other a professional child dancer with a bright future.

I for one cannot understand why anyone would look at this video and see a sexual nature in any way. This is one of my favourite music videos of all time, and I have watched it countless times, trying to pick out the different messages Sia is trying to put across. The song is called "Elastic Heart" and so what I pull out of this video is Sia's two different personalities - one lighter and more childlike, and one darker half that represents her bad decisions and regrets. The two personalities hate each other due to the one constantly holding the other back, and no matter how hard the Ziegler personality tries to escape, LeBeouf is holding her back. However when she finally manages to escape the "cage" which I see as a metaphor for Sia's mind and body, she makes her way back in, and the two personalities reconcile. The intimacy the two dancers share represents the feeling that they are one, and that one cannot survive without the other.

Both dancers wear nude coloured, filthy body suits in the video. This again has been linked to the idea of the dancing being too intimate. However again, I do not in any way see a sexual nature to these outfits, instead, I believe they have been dressed in this way to focus the attention on the dancing, and portray the rawness of the workings of the human consciousness. This video made me feel extremely emotional and vulnerable the first time I watched it, because instantly I felt the emotion Sia was trying to put across. 

The controversy of this video has made me wonder - are we really seeing paedophilia in every situation where a non-related man and young girl are engaging in an intimate scenario? This video is SUPPOSED to show how close the two personalities are, and how they are both obsessed and repulsed by the other. I think it has thrown up so many controversial comments because unlike 99% of videos of this genre, it portrays a real emotion and is so much deeper than the others of its kind. I would be really interested to hear any comments that anyone has on this video and post.

I will link the video below, I encourage anyone who hasn't to watch it.

L xx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWZGAExj-es