PETITE MELLER
PETITE MELLER'S
LEADING CULTURE DESTINATIONS:
Petite Meller is a heavily rouged pop tour-de-force–a fiercely bright philosophy post-graduate and cultural nomad with a penchant for disrupting the mainstream with an enchantingly surrealist Lolita-esque pop persona that owes as much of a debt to the masters of psychoanalytic theory as it does to the pubescent come-hither sultriness of a young Vanessa Paradis. As an increasingly globally recognised figure that regularly immerses herself in various global cultures in order to create wonderful, and sometimes bizarre, videos, such as “Baby Love” (which has garnered 9.5million views and counting on YouTube), she is uniquely placed to be a Jury member for Leading Culture Destinations. Here, she SHARES her favourite global destinations, and TELLS US why the teenageRS OF Shanghai HAVE the most idiosyncratic style culture on the planet.
If there was one piece of art you could feature in, which one would it be and why?
I would love to perform in the Library of SANAA In Zurich, Switzerland. I visited there and I think it’s the most beautiful architectural piece I have ever seen. It feels like a fantasy, in a way–It’s like arriving to heaven AND feels like the waves of the sea. I’ve also been to Naoshima Island, and there is architecture there that makes me think of Star Wars and the future. I would love to shoot there.
DO yOU LOVE TO TRAVEL?
I always like to shoot my videos in unusual locations. I travel always, and I tend to meet my family and my vision on the road. I usually spend a week in the place and meet people, and I believe the universe is sending me those people to shoot with and dance with. I feel like a gypsy when I travel so much.
What are your favourite emerging cultural cities?
I recently went to Shanghai and my mind was blown by the fashion and the vibe of the street and the people. They are not dependent on the kind of ideas from the past we–they are very innovative and out-of-the-box. Because of communism they were not exposed to lots of things, so they are never what you might expect. They are creating their own fantasy–every one of them–and it is really amazing to see. It’s unlike anything I have seen anywhere else. Shanghai is like so many realities existing together at the same time–it’s like a maze of realities and it’s very beautiful to see.
Who do you think are the cultural innovators of tomorrow?
I think that it’s always about the ideas of writers and thinkers–a good idea will change the world. It comes from the philosophers. They are the ones responsible for describing a new era –Slavoj Zizek, Jacques Lacan, Gilles Delueze… I think we will soon start to build upon the idea of Stephen Hawking's multiple realities–giving a new structure and content for films, music, art… and a new way of thinking.