Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/779409
O ver the years, events surrounding the Super Bowl have become as big as the game itself. The spectacle pulls in its wake a wave of celebrities, artists, and craftsmen who engineer jaw- dropping halftime performances by kingpins of rock including Michael Jackson, Madonna, Beyoncé, and the Rolling Stones. Super Bowl LI lands Lady Gaga in Houston to perform the globally televised halftime extravaganza, accompanied by directors, producers, creative directors, and a slew of lieutenants to make sure the performance is suitably breathtaking and that it goes off without a hitch or malfunction. One of these enlisted by Gaga is Lobster Eye, a London-based creative studio co-founded by Ruth Hogben and Andrea Gelardin. In their role as creative directors, they have, in a relatively short time, collaborated on a number of high-profile live performances, including their work on behalf of Lady Gaga for her 2016 performances at the Academy Awards, American Music Awards Show, and Grammy Awards (for which they collaborated with Intel on a tribute to David Bowie.) In a PaperCity exclusive, the wildly talented and incredibly busy duo share thoughts on their work and the rigorous planning for this year's halftime show. How Lobster Eye formed. Ruth Hogben: Andrea and I have been best friends for 10 years and we have always had similar interests — predominately fashion, but also a shared love of performance, music, and art. Project that has a special place in your heart … and a bit of Bowie. The project that feels the closest to our hearts, purely because of its uniqueness, is Lady Gaga's tribute to David Bowie at the 2016 Grammys. We are both massive fans of Bowie to start with, so this in and of itself meant a lot to us. It gave us the opportunity to explore techniques and technology that we hadn't come across before. We worked very closely with Intel and its amazing technology from beginning to end, learning and developing incredible live tricks that were new to us, and to the audience. What made the project so special [along with the technology], was the music itself. Working with a musical talent such as Lady Gaga, as well as with the brilliant Nile Rogers on David Bowie's music, was very special indeed. Chat stew, Super Bowl. The creative process for a project like this 78 LONDON-BASED CREATIVE STUDIO LOBSTER EYE, COLLABORATING ON LADY GAGA'S SUPER BOWL EXTRAVAGANZA FROM THE EYE OF B Y S T E V E N H E M P E L THE LOBSTER Lady Gaga tribute to David Bowie at the 2016 Grammy Awards (continued on page 80)