I LOVE BUGS & WHY I'M SCARED OF DYING

Experimental Animation Short Series / 2023

A series of six experimental shorts created around the topic of insects, their intrinsic connection to death, and its effects on the human psyche. The binding theme of this series revolves around entomophobia, which is represented through my concept of Beauty in Terror. The series was developed using a range of techniques, from digital 2D animation to mixed media and screen printed animation.

This series was made up of six experimental shorts or idents, each of which represented in part Dr. Edward de Bono's "Six Thinking Hats Approach". The project took place over the course of four months, two of which were first and foremost dedicated to research and development. I used symbols akin to biblical imagery (think biblically accurate angels) to represent insects, and chose to use insects that are depicted in mythology as being close to death or omens of death.

I began by first collecting all the visuals that I liked and sketching my ideas out into different compositions, then laying them out together to see if they worked well. I used eyes (either literally, symbolically, or metaphorically) as a binding visual between all of my clips, so that everything was cohesive. This was to hearken to the real life phenomenon of Batesian Mimicry, which is when smaller organisms mimic bigger ones or features of bigger ones using eye like markings to scare away predators.

CONCEPT ART

/ The Vitruvian Man-tis

/ Behind the Scenes Development