There are numerous individuals who pride themselves on possessing what they claim is the coolest job in the world. Among them, Stephen Thomas Gallagher has ample justification for such a claim, given the extraordinary nature of his work.
Gallagher is the creative force behind live shows for the renowned musical acts Gorillaz and Lana Del Rey. His impressive portfolio includes the design of a striking London tower block, which features a tube train spectacularly crashed through it as part of the artistic installation at Glastonbury Festival. Recently, he undertook a daring project, flying in a bright yellow helicopter over the Port of Los Angeles, capturing footage while Dr. Dre reverberated through his headphones, maneuvering between towering cranes hoisting shipping containers.
In a recent interview, Gallagher emphasized his normalcy amidst the spectacular, sharing anecdotes about everyday life, such as the act of baking bread—a skill he embraced during lockdown but had abandoned once stores reopened. His upcoming debut in the U.S. art scene, scheduled for February 24, will feature a one-night screening of Sunset: The Jubilation of the Baboons, a captivating video work blending industrial and dream-like aesthetics. This exhibition marks a significant moment, heralded as an ambitious step in his solo career and the beginning of a planned 12-part series dubbed The Hours, taking place at The Pit in Los Angeles.
The trailer for Sunset oscillates between aerial shots of the glimmering pink and gold waters of the port and bizarre footage of baboons—creating a trippy yet soothing visual experience. The project was sparked not in the sunny Californian landscape but rather in Coventry, England, where Gallagher stumbled upon an engraving of Aton, the Egyptian sun god, during his research into the city’s postwar reconstruction. This discovery led him on a deep dive into the Amduat, an ancient Egyptian funerary text narrating the sun god’s twelve-hour nocturnal journey.
He describes the Amduat as an exploration of what occurs during sleep, death, and rebirth. In Gallagher’s contemporary interpretation, this vessel navigating the night is a shipping container from the video. Instead of a mythical solar bark traversing the underworld, we witness steel boxes onboard cargo ships, symbolizing the intricate web connecting humanity through the global supply chain.
Gallagher’s filmmaking process took an unexpected turn when he hired a helicopter during Coachella 2023, opting for a no-doors experience while capturing footage from above the port. “I thought we were going to get shot down,” he joked, reflecting on the thrilling endeavor, which also included later shoots in Donegal, Ireland.
In an intriguing twist, Gallagher’s editing process involved inducing sleep to tap into hypnagogia—the state between wakefulness and sleep. Inspired by artists like Salvador Dalí, who would doze with keys in hand to stay alert at the verge of slumber, Gallagher would let himself drift into sleep, jotting down thoughts upon awakening. This unique method fostered creative problem-solving and guided the structure of Sunset from that liminal mental space.
The essence of Gallagher’s approach remains consistent with his previous work at Block9, the studio he co-founded, known for its grand installations at the Glastonbury Festival. Among notable contributions is a fully constructed New York street set, ingeniously hiding a late-1970s gay nightclub within. Collaborating with Gorillaz cofounder Damon Albarn, Gallagher describes the ethos as one of spontaneity and artistic freedom.
Although his recent solo work may scale down the spectacle to a singular immersive experience with a one-channel screen and a soundscape, the internal exploration remains profound. Sunset: The Jubilation of the Baboons serves as the prologue to The Hours, inviting viewers to navigate through light and shadow, friction and smoothness. Gallagher articulates that the balance between opposites is essential: “You can’t have one without the other.”
As he embarks on this new journey, Gallagher remains committed to harnessing the potential within both the artistic and subconscious realms, welcoming a future where curiosity and creativity continue to thrive.
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