Avant Garde

Avant Garde refers to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture and politics. This artistic movement began in France in 1850. 

Robert Florey, The Love of Zero, 1928..

The literal meaning is "Advanced Guard" and it represents a pushing of the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm or status quo.

Avant-Garde 2: Experimental Cinema 

The concept of Avant Guard refers to artists, writer, composers and thinkers whose work is opposed to mainstream cultural values and often has a social or political edge. 

Avant Garde music is a term used to characterise music which is thought to be ahead of its time or containing unique and original elements, or unexplored fusions of different genres.

Examples of Avant Garde in music videos are:

1) Runaway - Kanye West

This is the full 35 minute version. Kanye West says that the video is a narrative about a phoenix, which is a mythical bird that lives for thousands of years and then burns to ash before a new phoenix arises from the ash. The phoenix is a symbol of spiritual revival. This is a video that includes Avant Garde because of it's juxtaposition between stillness and fast movement and because of it's powerful images. 

2) Alejandro - Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga is one of the more obvious choices for examples of Avant Garde because of her out-there fashion sense that, most of the time, seem to be depicting messages.