Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s wedding played out over Instagram like an HBO series. We put together a comprehensive timeline of events in the way that people do in 2014 – by piecing together a series of Instagram photos. In this way, it wasn’t so much a wedding between two pop cultural stars as it was an ensemble cast. This may not be what was meant by a “flat world”, but here we are.
The wedding had two main characters, as weddings tend to do – but our point of view came from one of the supporting members in Kourtney Kardashain’s Instagram feed. It started with a brunch in Paris, which we saw through the eyes of variousfilters. Then came a garden stroll and lunch, and the obligatory Eiffel Tower selfie.
Other characters in the ensemble stole scenes, like designer and leather jogger confidante Virgil Abloh. While most Instagrammed portrayals pics played into the fairy tale of the wedding, Abloh’s account showed the behind the scenes. Like Bunk and McNulty’s drunken nights along the train tracks, his portraits of Paris nights showed a peaceful resolve. And this Pyrex picture on Valentino’s estate may be the best photo of the bunch.
As it often does in good TV shows, the location became its own character, transcending views and scenery to become an inescapable witness. Paris became its own character in the Instagram Pre-Wedding Series. Then, the wedding moved to Forte di Belvedere in Florence, home to some of the greatest scientific achievements in history. It was Baltimore to The Wire or Louisiana to True Detective. Except this location cost $400,000.
The wedding itself was replayed to us through its photo booth, including this “Just Married” leather jacket picture (posted by Khloe Kardashian), and Jaden Smith, dressed as a white batman, photobombing everyone in sight. Remember, we weren’t there – most of us were sitting at home, thousands of miles away. All these stories were pieced together from 20-30 pictures in the social media jigsaw puzzle. It had a narrative; a beginning, middle, and end. It had characters, both major and minor.
But this is Kanye’s way. Perhaps no other pop culture figure has grasped how to create compelling art under these new rules. The art is in the reveal, with the medium our computer and smartphone screens. From the G.O.O.D. Music Friday releases, to the worldwide Yeezus projections, Kanye West tells unconventional stories. A background in both art (the design and look) and music (the lifestyle) may be the tag team skills of unlocking present day culture. You can’t just make music anymore – it has to look like something. It was probably always this way, but with stories of weddings told over Instagram, it was never this personal or immediate. All you need now is an eye for design and a Soundcloud page. And there’s still a clothing line on the way.
Actually, I take that back – no major event is truly over until there’s a “Best Dressed” list.
Back to Europe
Just 280 miles away at the same weekend as the wedding, the Cannes Film Festival concluded its two week competition. The Turkish film Winter Sleeptook home top honors. The film, about the economic power divide between the rich and poor in Turkey, could not be further away from the opulence just five hours away. And while Paris and Florence were Instagrammed into history, Cannes represented the best of traditional storytelling.
We often analyze where the forefront of art is right now – is it in Los Angeles? Miami? Is it on Tumblr? For one weekend, the answer was Paris, Florence, and Cannes. Those settings too were traditional. There may be a larger statement here about how the more things change, and how important cities are regardless of the social media disruption. But we know know better. There’s no more grand statements to be made, just glimmers and hints of what life could be.