Were any settings from Beyoncé Knowles-Carter's new "visual album" on Disney+ oddly familiar? There are several good reasons for that.
Multiple scenes from the hip-hop and pop music superstar's "Black Is King," which was released on July 31, were filmed at Sylvester Manor Educational Farm on Shelter Island and in Guild Hall's galleries in East Hampton during its museum's Ugo Rondinone exhibition on Aug. 21, 2019.
According to Sylvester Manor, various parts of the grounds — including the woods, waterways, and ancient trees — served as backdrops for dances and scenes illustrated from the "Black Is King" story. Based on "The Lion King," the album's theme is that of a "young king’s transcendent journey through betrayal, love, and self-identity."
Sylvester Manor's educational mission to relate its own history as a Northern plantation worked by enslaved Africans may have played a significant role in its selection as a location. The history of Shelter Island's Indigenous people, the Manhansetts, as well as the European settlers who came there in the 17th century with slaves in tow, is also part of the property's history and mission.
"We believe Beyoncé chose our site understanding the cultures who lived and worked together at Sylvester Manor and the importance they have played in the Manor's nearly 400-year history," said Donnamarie Barnes, its curator and archivist. Ms. Knowles-Carter and the dancers in the scenes filmed there "paid tribute to the ancestors of Sylvester Manor, invoking their spirits and celebrating their heritage."
While filming at Guild Hall, an audience of 700 adults and children filed into a magic show taking place in the theater, unaware that a full production crew was filming Ms. Knowles-Carter in the museum.
Based on music from "The Lion King: The Gift," an album Ms. Knowles-Carter made with African songwriters and producers, the production was brought to Guild Hall by Holly Li, a producer who lives on the East End.
In the song "Already," Ms. Knowles-Carter wears a dress with gold accents and a gold headpiece, a zebra-print suit and shorts, and a full body suit in a room with Rondinone's "Sun" sculptures.
The circular vine in his art, referencing the annual growing cycle of the earth, ties in nicely with the circle of life theme of "The Lion King," which was remade and released last year, 25 years after the original animated film.
In the remake, Ms. Knowles-Carter spoke the voice of Nala and created a song for the soundtrack. She continued the journey inspired by her experience on the film with the album, and now the film related to the album, another kind of full circle.
