Top image: ‘Lolita’ official film poster (1962)

A towering figure in the history of cinema, Stanley Kubrick’s influence stretches far beyond his cinematic medium. Going to extraordinary lengths to avoid mediocrity in his work the luminary director pushed the boundaries of film making, carving a fluid aesthetic that evolved with defining proportions. Curated by Mo’Wax and UNKLE founder James Lavelle, this month Somerset House presents Daydreaming with Stanley Kubrick, an artistic tribute to the inimitable filmmaker.

Drawing together an eclectic mix of names such as Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter, Jarvis Cocker, Sarah lucas, Beth Orton and Anish Kapoor, each participant is invited to respond to a film, scene, character or theme from the Kubrick archives, translating Kubrick’s oeuvre to a contemporary setting.

From his sci-fi epic 2001: A Space Odyssey to cold war satire Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb via the highly controversial A Clockwork Orange, Kubrick’s work has offered some of cinema’s most defining moments. Here, Lavelle asks us to immerse ourselves in this iconic and mythic universe, exploring Kubrick’s body of work through new perspectives.

Alex James Taylor: How did you first become involved in the project?
James Lavelle: I’ve always been a huge Kubrick fan and a while back I tried to get a hold of him to see if he’d be interested in making a video with us, and so there was a dialogue between me and his company at the time, but unfortunately he passed. So many years later, I’d been working with UNKLE on placing music in more of a gallery environment, and I was working with lots of different artists and encouraging them to react to my work. From there, a curator friend of mine is very good friends with the guy that runs the Stanley Kubrick estate and he asked to organise a meeting about coming up with an idea to contemporise the estate. And that’s how it happened, he asked me for some ideas and I came up with this exhibition on the basis that the family would support it and allow us to have access to the archive and to support what we’re doing. Christiane [Kubrick’s widow] is an artist and very much supported our vision and now, five years down the line, we have an exhibition.

AJT: You talk about contemporising Kubrick’s work, how does the exhibition offer this perspective?
JL: I just thought it’d be great to have a real mix of different artists react to his vast and diverse universe. In that way I tried to bring in people who were very classic in what they’ve done, people like Joseph Kosuth, who pretty much invented conceptual art, but also people like Dexter Navy who shot L$D for A$AP Rocky, you know? There’s that mix of artists that creates a broad spectrum. I hope it creates a really amazing experience that will appeal to a lot of different people. The idea was to try and bring all these people together, from those who know Kubrick thoroughly, to those who are yet to be introduced to his work. I’ve just been walking around with my eighteen year old daughter and she doesn’t know about Stanley Kubrick really, but it’s blown her away, she told me that she’s going to go watch his films this weekend. Well, that’s what I want, I want people to discover his work.

AJT: Absolutely, and by bringing in a range of artistic mediums it makes it more diverse and accessible.
JL: Yeah, it’s everything from sculpture to smells, from videos to paintings. It’s a holistic experience, the idea is that it’s like going in to a movie really, so you have things like Paul Fryer who’s done this amazing frozen Stanley Kubrick, Jack Nicholson-esque frozen sculpture like from the end of The Shining, we also have a replica maze, again from The Shining, and then someone has reworked the space scene out of 2001: A Space Odyssey. It really grows from things which are fun and referential to things that are much more technical or theoretically based.

“You’ve got to remember that the iPhone is based on the model from 2001, so Kubrick’s influence on modern culture is quite ridiculous really.”

AJT: In terms of your personal connection with Kubrick, what was the first film of his that you saw?
JL: 2001: A Space Odyssey was what changed my life. Well, 2001 and A Clockwork Orange. I was a kid back then and being twelve years old you don’t have much to do, so the video store was our bible really, and that’s where I discovered 2001, it’s also where I discovered Blade Runner, Tron, Bruce Lee, you know? That was part of your social life, you had that and record shops, that was my way of having something cultural that meant something to me. Then with A Clockwork Orange, it was banned, so there was that danger element to it. Those two films changed my life really.

AJT: I always find it fascinating how many wacky conspiracy theories there are online related to Kubrick’s films.
JL: Having spoken to his widow, they are all generally rubbish [laughs].

AJT: [laughs] But it’s amazing that people go into such detail when analysing his films.
JL: I think that’s also a part of what this is about, there’s a mystery, a mystique, the technique. Whether it’s colour, costume design, mixing, special effects, Kubrick’s work is reflected in modern society. You’ve got to remember that the iPhone is based on the model from 2001, so Kubrick’s influence on modern culture is quite ridiculous really.

Daydreaming with Stanley Kubrick runs from 6th July–24th August at Somerset House. 
James Lavelle will also be performing with UNKLE on 17th July as part of Summer Series at Somerset House.