Cadet Chapel | Chapel Cadet is a video by artist Jaimie Henthorn that explores the relationship between the iconic United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel and military drill. Scored by American electronic music producer Kate Simko, in collaboration with the London Electronic Orchestra, the work reads like a pop music video both in its short duration and use of electronic dance music. Using visual, auditory, and conceptual repetition, the video focuses on the association between individual and community, as well as spirituality and defense.

By pairing a modernist icon that represents nondenominational spirituality with harmonious battle formations—all to the pulse of an electronic dance music score—the work is intended to be nonlinear and more exploratory than didactic. Cadet Chapel | Chapel Cadet subtly addresses the power dynamics associated with built environments, the military, and pop culture to reveal the complicated interconnections between physical, social, and psychological space.

“Each of my performance investigations engages a modernist building in deep conversation with the human body. I am interested in the way we move, learn to move, and are instructed to move in relation to these architectural structures, specifically in terms of power and identity. The cadet honor guard featured in the video was chosen for me by the Air Force Academy, and I had a chaperone at all times. This degree of control over my actions was hugely influential over the final outcome of this work. Every day, young cadets form their sense of self and identity under the pressure of power structures that demand an orderly veneer – seventeen spires in a row, clean angles, symmetry, sheer perfection.” – Jaimie Henthorn

The video is curated and produced by Black Cube and is the culmination of Jaimie Henthorn's 2018 Artist Fellowship, scored by American electronic music producer Kate Simko, with video production by Profectum Media and Damien Moreau.

The video premiered at Sie FilmCenter in Denver, CO on January 23, 2020 and was accompanied by a panel discussion, which focused on three significant aspects framed within the video: the Air Force cadet experience, the psychological space of architecture, and the relationship between body and space. The panellists included Jaimie Henthorn, PhD (Artist, Choreographer, Director of Digital Education & Engagement at University of Colorado), Hanna Guckenberg (First Class Cadet at the United States Air Force Academy), Joseph Juhász, PhD (Professor Emeritus of Architecture and Environmental Design of the College of Architecture and Planning at University of Colorado), and Shawn Womack (Choreographer, Professor at Colorado College’s Theatre and Dance Department). 

Thanks to:

Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel

Air Force Academy Cadet Honor Guard

Sie FilmCenter

London Electronic Orchestra

From the Hip Photo

Kate Simko

Valeria Kurbatova

Profectum Media

Kate Lowell

Kody Kurth

Damien Moreau

Hanna Guckenberg

Joseph Juhász

Shawn Womack

David and Laura Merage Foundation