Controversy from Ghent to Paris to Texas!
How to describe upsammy (Thessa Torsing) to those who've never heard her? Her music breathes a hybrid world where nature and to technology intertwine - layered, rhythmic, melodic, and always just beyond the expected. Whether live or behind the decks, she crafts soundscapes full of microtextures and trippy electronics, untethered to genre but always narrative-driven. Torsing studied Image and Media Technology at HKU and works across sound, video, and visual art. Her fascination with vibration, space, and the tension between synthetic and natural flows through everything she does.
For VIDEODROOM, upsammy takes on a classic: Paris, Texas by Wim Wenders. Winner of the Palme d'Or in Cannes (1984), the film became a cult favourite - known for its slow-burning beauty, bittersweet tone, and of course, that unforgettable Ry Cooder score.
But this is VIDEODROOM: here, things are meant to be different. Upsammy reimagines the soundtrack and rebuilds the film through her own audiovisual language. One night only. Bold. Unforgettable.
Experience this cinematic masterpiece as you've never seen - or heard - it before!
"What draws me to 'Paris, Texas' is the way its vast, stretched-out landscape reflects an emotional state - one of alienation and introspection. The shots are slow and somber, minimalistic, with long silences that evoke a certain strangeness. The original score mirrors this minimalism and sense of desolation, deeply rooted in the film's setting. These are elements I find inspiring to work with, and they resonate with my own approach to making music." - upsammy
Image gallery
Credits
Wim Wenders
Ry Cooder
Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, Dean Stockwell
Sam Shepard, L.M. Kit Carson
Robby Müller
Peter Przygodda
Don Guest
More info
Spanish, English
United Kingdom, France, West Germany
1984
Filmography
Same Player Shoots Again (short, 1968), Silver City Revisited (short, 1969), Alabama (2000 Light Years) (short, 1969), Summer in the City (1970), Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter (1972), Der scharlachrote Buchstabe (1973), Alice in den Städten (1974), Falsche Bewegung (1975), Im Lauf der Zeit (1976), Der Amerikanische Freund (1977), Lightning Over Water (1980), Hammett (1982), Reverse Angle: Ein Brief aus New York (1982), Der Stand der Dinge (1982), Paris, Texas (1984), Tokyo-Ga (1985), Wings of Desire (1987), Yamamoto - Aufzeichnungen zu Kleidern und Städten (1989), Bis ans Ende der Welt (1991), Arisha, der Bär und der steinerne Ring (1992), In weiter Ferne, so nah! (1993), Lisbon Story (1994), Die Gebrüder Skladanowsky (1995), Lumière and Company (1995), The End of Violence (1997), Willie Nelson at the Teatro (1998), Buena Vista Social Club (1999), The Million Dollar Hotel (2000), Ode to Cologne: A Rock 'N' Roll Film (2002), Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet (2002), Other Side of the Road (2003), Land of Plenty (2004), Don't Come Knocking (2005), Invisibles (2007), Palermo Shooting (2008), 8 (2008) Il volo (short, 2008), Pina (2011), Mundo Invisível (2012), Kathedralen der Kultur (2014), The Salt of the Earth (2014), Alles wird gut (2015), Les beaux jours d'Aranjuez (2016), Submergence (2017), Pope Francis: A Man of His Word (2018), Two or Three Things I Know About Edward Hopper (2020), A future together (2021), Présence (short, 2022), Anselm (2023), Perfect Days (2023)
