Now "Hotline Bling" Fits into Art History

Half-Canadian, half-meme pop star Drake dad-wiggled his way to all corners of the internet earlier this week with his new video for "Hotline Bling," which many speculate was influenced by legendary light artist James Turrell (although video director, Director X, claims otherwise), so net artist Tom Galle "fixed it." In the original video, Drake dances like an uncle at a wedding, surrounded by pastel facades that seem to be emnating light—a visual effect Turrell pioneered with his 1960s Projection Pieces. So Galle took the logical step and made Drake - Hotline Bling (Turrell Remix)‬, which you can check out below.

Given that Drake has a documented appreciation for the light artist, the connection seemed obvious, both to Galle and the internet at-large. "I was almost immediately wondering if he even was involved but at the same time it felt a bit cheap. It was confusing," he tells The Creators Project. "To me it does not have the significance of Turrells [sic] work (at all) the whole setting feels like an easy imitation. it doesn't matter that much though in my opinion."

It should be noted that yesterday, Turrell released a statement along those lines, saying, "While I am truly flattered to learn that Drake f*cks with me, I nevertheless wish to make clear that neither I nor any of my woes was involved in any way in the making of the Hotline Bling video.”

Director X, who shot the video, denies Turrell's influence outright, citing his own previous work with Sean Paul. Galle's instinct as an artist makes him skeptical, though. "He can say what he wants, this is just my personal opinion. As a director of such an important video, I'm not sure if I would admit it either if I took someone else's ideas/aesthetics over so easily."

People like filmmaker Kirby Fergusson and legal activist / underdog presidential candidate Lawrence Lessig argue that everything is a remix, and sometimes the most original ideas are those that remix ideas at the right time, for the right audience. Quentin Tarantino and George Lucas, whose work is both just as memed as Drake is, come to mind. Whether that's OK is literally up for debate—there are a dozen pieces of copyright legislation gestating in Congress at the moment.

Below, check out the original video for "Hotline Bling," and a few of our favorite GIFs and remixes that are both awesome and protected by fair use copyright law.

A video posted by NoChillVines Zone  (@nochillvines) on Oct 22, 2015 at 2:40am PDT

A video posted by Bryce Snow (@brycesnowthebrand) on Oct 21, 2015 at 11:09pm PDT

A video posted by WANKER(Toshiki Hosaka)です (@_wankstagram_) on Oct 22, 2015 at 9:52am PDT

A video posted by Carlos / Los (@mighty_morphin_los) on Oct 22, 2015 at 9:46am PDT

[Editor's note: the video 'Drake - Hotline Bling (Turrell Remix)‬,' which featured video of James Turrell's installations set to Drake's "Hotline Bling," has been removed by Vimeo. We've replaced it with a version the artist uploaded to a personal site.]

See more of Tom Galle's work on his website, and James Turrell's work here.

Related:

James Turrell Bends the Light of a Mexican Sunrise

I Stared Into the Void at a Secret Light Show in Las Vegas

James Turrell Museum Tours in the Nude Is a Thing

For $6500 You Can Visit James Turrell's Unfinished Observatory