The Cat Empire

 

‘Summer Glisten’ is the back cover of The Cat Empire’s album ‘Stolen Diamonds’ released in February 2019.

The Cat Empire are a well renowned Australian band, who tour globally and have a faithful tribe of melody-loving followers all over the world. 

The art direction of the campaign for their album is about celebrating what it is to be Australian, and the elements that make the band quintessentially Australian. The visual depiction of this is the unique light, colour palette, activities and objects, the landscape and oceans, a sense of humour/fun/adventure.

As a way for the band to celebrate this sense of Australia, as well as Australian artists, they have partnered with and showcased the work of 8 Australian photographers, including Amy Mercer Photography, whose images the band has seen, love and beautifully describe this sense of place.  

8 images were matched with 8 songs, and were rolled out one by one on the 1st of each month, which started on July 1 2018, and continued through to February 1 2019.

This artwork also won the Fan Favourite competition which The Cat Empire hosted on their social media platforms.

You can create an order for ‘Summer Glisten’ here.

The following information was used in the campaign:

ARTIST BIO: 

Amy Mercer is a Sydney-based aerial and underwater photographer who specialises in capturing the beauty of nature. Mercer only began turning her hobby into a passion mid-July 2017 after booking a trip to the Kingdom of Tonga to live out her dream of swimming with Humpback Whales which sparked up her love for marine conservation and photography. Mercer has contributed to MTV Australia with blogs about her travels in Tonga and Hawaii and was recognised in the Top 20 of Capture Magazine’s Australasia’s Top Emerging Photographer 2018 (Travel Category) competition. Mercer has also been inspired by the diverse and unique Australian coastline that encaptures the predominant beach culture which is strongly tied to Australia’s identity on a global scale. Due to the very popular perspective of a drone that has allowed it to capture what only winged creatures were able to see, Mercer has found that it has created a whole new artistic field in its own respect in regards to showcasing previously unexplored and famous coastlines. 

For Mercer, every day is a new experience and a new appreciation for the world we live in. Through her photographs, she aims to portray the beauty of animals, the urgency of conservation and the enchanting landscapes this world, particularly Australia, has to offer one adventure at a time. 

ARTWORK BIO: 

Summer Glisten was taken at Shelly Beach Rock Pool in January 2018 on a warm summer’s afternoon in Sydney’s south. The beach lifestyle is a key element in Australian culture due to 85% of the Australian population residing on the coast. The beach is not only a place to take a dip, but a means of a rite of passage for any young Australian. It is a place to gather thoughts in times of crisis, a place to celebrate life and achievements; a place to socialise, exercise and relax; a place to overcome challenges and compete, a place to find solitude and love. It is no wonder that ocean living is an integral part of the country’s society. Through Mercer’s photographs, she raises awareness on the importance of efficient coastal management and marine conservation in which Mercer strongly believes is of the utmost importance in order for future generations to enjoy for many years to come as well as maintaining a healthy ecosystem for marine wildlife. 

Mercer admits that as an aerial photographer, one of the rules of thumb is to not shoot in the middle of the day due to the harsh glare of the sun. However, during the creative process of editing this particular image, it became more of an artwork rather than a natural shot by experimenting with the variety of tones in the turquoise colour palette, expressing the warmth and ocean shades through unique lighting and exposing the clarity of the reef in which surrounds the rock pool. 

COLLABORATION BIO: 

I feel so humbled to be blessed with the opportunity to collaborate with The Cat Empire whom Australia has fallen in love with time and time again for almost two decades due to their quintessential Australian sound, lyrics and entrancing performances. I am ecstatic that The Cat Empire is not only celebrating Australia through their music but also celebrating this country by accompanying various images to their sound from various Australian photographers, including Summer Glisten for their song Barricades, which depicts a sense of place and a means behind on what it truly is to be Australian. Not only does this photograph highlight the epitome of Australian beach culture but the title of the song Barricades itself is fitting in which the rockpool resembles as a safe haven for beach-goers in the confinement within the rock walls against the oceans rips, waves and currents. The Cat Empire has proven yet again their extraordinary love for their country as well as incorporating various artistic fields to their music and finding new ways to express their creative outlook.