Nick and Chloé's adventures at the edges of consciousness

With former clients including such names as Guerlain, Nike, Kenzo, Sony, Coca-Cola and Volkswagen, Nick & Chloe’s distinctive brand of surrealism has attracted high profile commissions. While Claverie started out as a fashion art director in Paris, Dublin-born West launched a self-taught photography career in London. Here they share the secrets of their successful collaboration and their inspirations – from Michel Gondry's childlike aesthetic to Spike Jonze’s balance of art and absurdity.

How was the experience of making your first music video, Sam Tiba’s Terminus? 

Exhilarating and a wee bit terrifying. Exhilarating because it’s so much fun to realise your ideas in motion after so much time being confined to a 1/60th of a second. 

Our work always seems to come back to the same themes. Not just childhood, but more precisely the adult memory of childhood. Do we ever really grow up? Do we still dream as a child? 

Terrifying as there is a steep learning curve in trying to tell your story with film, even if it’s only a couple of minutes. We were very lucky to have a very supportive producer and an excellent DP (Benoit Soler). 

Terminus, Nick & Chloé

Your early work included shooting the first cover of children’s fashion title Milk Magazine, would you say your videos display your interest in childhood imagination and fairytales? 

Our work, whether photography or film always seems to come back to the same themes. Not just childhood, but more precisely the adult memory of childhood. Do we ever really grow up? Do we still dream as a child? 

Chloé Claverie.

Many of your films seem influenced by photography – with the focus on styling and portraiture they're almost more pictures that move than live action. Do you think that is the result of your own individual creative journeys? 

To be honest I think the instinct of photographers when they come to film is to make “pictures that move” as that is what they know. 

It’s always one of us that has the kernel of the idea. That is then sold to the other. If it passes muster then it becomes a Nick & Chloé project.

But motion, and especially editing, are also their own little storytelling toolbox, and there’s a lot of careful styling going on in the motion as well, both the camera’s and within the shots.

But yes, our aesthetic sense developed with photography, and I think a lot of that shows through even as our current projects push more and more into live action and dialogue.

Nick West

How does your partnership work? Do you have defined roles in your collaboration?

It’s always one of us that has the kernel of the idea. That is then sold to the other. If it passes muster then it becomes a Nick & Chloé project. 

The concept stage is collaborative and open ended and our roles at this point are undefined. Once we get to execute the project then we organise ourselves carefully into specific roles and there is a hierarchy between us... if only to avoid chaos! 

The landscape, be it built or natural, is intrinsic to our work. The story has to happen somewhere! We are always searching for a landscape with a ubiquitous quality, where the story can have a universal quality.

With commissioned projects we have also had to make this system work with the added layers of agency and client with one of us being the 'lead' to front the project with the other being able to take more perspective to fine tune. 

The Birdy Nam Nam video, Can't Do Me, was shot at the eerie, near 'ghost town' of Bombay Beach, California.

You seem to relish finding strangely beautiful, slightly sinister landscapes. How important is the setting in your creative process? 

The landscape, be it built or natural, is intrinsic to our work. The story has to happen somewhere! We have also tried to build our own landscape in our studio work but this can be little restrictive, a location can feed an idea. 

We are always searching for a landscape with a ubiquitous quality, where the story can have a universal quality. 

OY - Place des Clichés video was filmed at the Calanques of Marseille. 

Do you come up with your concepts first then look for a landscape or get inspired by the settings?

It’s happened both ways. The Calanques of Marseille were very influential in the OY video and arrived early in the creation of the concept, whilst Bombay Beach was found late in the production of the Birdy Nam Nam film and was such a powerful element that our concept was reshaped as a consequence. 

Who or what are your greatest creative influences? And which music video directors to you admire? 

NW: I’m still very influenced by my childhood books I’m a big fan of Richard Scarry who showed the real world as an animated microcosm. So its maybe no surprise that I was also influenced by the childlike music video Michel Gondry made for The Chemical Brothers track Let Forever Be.

 Ireland doesn’t have a big tradition of visual art but we are a nation of storytellers. We put a very high value on wit, the worst thing in Ireland is to be a bit of a bore, or a 'dry sh*te' as we would say! 

CC: Rebecca Horn [German visual artist] was very important for me to take the plunge into the creative world. She helped me with her courage and her unconventional take on femininity. For music video directors I love the work of Spike Jonze, who managed with such a lightness of touch to strike the balance between aesthetic and absurdity. 

The promo for Le Roi Angus' track, Couchés sur le Sable, was shot in Europe's tallest sand dunes, near Marseille. 

You both hail from the suburbs of your respective cities Paris and Dublin, how did your backgrounds influence your artistic development? 

Nick: Well Ireland doesn’t have a big tradition of visual art but we are a nation of storytellers. We put a very high value on wit, the worst thing in Dublin and Ireland is to be a bit of a bore, or a 'dry sh*te' as we would say! 

I was an outsider looking in to the fantasy of Paris. I think its always more interesting to be on the periphery where you have to have your own imaginary world. 

Chloe: Well I grew up in the suburbs of Paris, not the gleaming jewel of the centre. I was an outsider looking in to the fantasy of Paris and I think its always more interesting to be on the periphery where you have to have your own imaginary world. 

Your beautiful film Kornel’s Muse for Vogue Polska is a fascinating exploration of art and surrealism, is it an homage to the great surrealists? I noticed a lobster in it! 

Would be great to claim that but not really, the surrealism was really an attempt to break out from the convention of the portrait film. 

We wanted to add a bit of humour and we liked the idea of Paris becoming a vivid colourful cartoon as discovered from the wintery more monochrome Warsaw.