e-Luminate Festival: The Cambridge Whale

Very pleased to announce this week that the animation that I provided for the e-Luminate Festival of Light last weekend went down a treat with local audiences!

This restoration of Cambridge University Zoological Department’s iconic Fin Whale specimen was recreated in vector art from photographic reference. Unfortunately, I was unable to get my hands on any photos of the specimen exactly in profile, so I had to use some spacial reasoning to force the perspective slightly.

Nonetheless I am very happy with the anatomical fidelity of the restoration itself (I only had two weeks to put this guy together!) and the final projected image was pretty much life-size, which is what I was aiming for. I am very pleased also to hear that my whale installation has been a big hit with scientists and curators involved with the study and restoration of the specimen itself – always a nice bonus!

The best thing about creating an animation such as this I think is that it celebrates the medium of light whilst highlighting the environmental impact of human activities including light consumption (the central messages of the festival), but also it provides a very relatable image for audiences to interact with (light is a very abstract subject and whilst I was gobsmacked by all the beautiful installations placed all over the city, I think that visitors also like to see something with a face from time to time too and I feel privileged to have been able to provide that).

I am so proud and thrilled to have been able to contribute to such a unique festival alongside such a talented array of artists and technicians. Everyone has been so complimentary and my heartfelt thanks go out to the organizers, contributors and audiences who make this experience so unforgettable!

To see the animations, please visit: http://avsturner.prosite.com/247837/8598731/gallery/e-luminate-festival-2016