The Labyrinth is more than just a music video; it’s a journey into forgotten places, a glimpse through time using the lens of decay. Collaborating with Taiwanese singer Hsieh Yuan Ru and filmmaker Yann Moreau, this project brought together music, visuals, and the haunting beauty of abandoned spaces, or haikyo in Japanese. The song, written by Hsieh Yuan Ru, is a deeply evocative piece, and I had the privilege of building the music for it, while Yann’s expertise in capturing the atmosphere of forsaken places made him the perfect partner for the video.
• Lyrics: Hsieh Yuan Ru
• Music: Baptiste Tavernier, Hsieh Yuan Ru
• Video: Yann Moreau
• Mixed by: Phil Delire
Yann, a haikyo enthusiast, brought his passion for these abandoned structures to the table, turning forgotten places into canvases for storytelling. Together, we sought to capture the themes of disorientation, decay, and the intricate twists and turns of life.
In Japanese, haikyo refers to abandoned and forgotten buildings or machinery. These places evoke a distinct and elusive fascination, becoming playgrounds for urban explorers and inspirations for a new wave of modern photography. From crumbling towers to rusting theme parks, haikyo tell poetic stories of time, corruption, and decay, while simultaneously serving as cultural hotspots for street artists and musicians.
Taiwan offers a wealth of haikyo, ranging from overgrown theme parks in the south to derelict buildings around Taipei. In The Labyrinth, we explored two iconic locations:
1. The Linkou Lightning Building: This unfinished tower near Taipei is renowned for its eerie architecture and open staircase that spirals up 50 floors. Climbing it is not for the faint of heart, but the graffiti-covered walls on many floors transform it into an unexpected gallery of street art.
2. An Abandoned Theme Park: Swallowed by nature, this maze of rusting rides and crumbling mascots in the south of Taiwan symbolizes both the passage of time and humanity’s imprint on the landscape.
Even though these haikyo may seem desolate, they teem with creativity. Artists and musicians use these spaces to push boundaries, creating impactful work far removed from the constraints of traditional galleries or stages.
Since the song’s title is The Labyrinth, it was important for the video to incorporate real mazes, both literal and metaphorical. Our first maze was a small hedge maze near Yuanshan Station in Taipei. Though in poor condition, its overgrown state made it feel like a haikyo in its own right—perfect for capturing the song’s themes of life’s twists, turns, and challenges.
We wanted to include a second maze to enhance the visual narrative. Inspired by the Linkou Lightning Building, we decided to paint a maze directly onto one of its walls near the top floor. This act of creation within a forsaken space mirrored the song’s essence, where obstacles and paths merge into an exploration of life’s uncertainties.
