SCANimation: Transition System

Transition System is an eight-minute long animated short that explores the environmental reclamation of an industrial factory. The factory – fully automated and devoid of humanity – creates only waste, polluting the surrounding air, land, and water. This changes when a single seed enters the works and triggers a series of surreal events that transform the factory, considering the possibility of a posthuman future in which memory of our existence fades.  

The animation is inspired by abandoned spaces weathered by natural forces. These transitional spaces create a dreamlike contrast between entropy and the tangible memory of humanity, which I aimed to capture in the animation.

The work is also inspired by the mark left by humans through the cultivation of land. Human-made structures will succumb to rust, rot, and decay, but botanical evidence of humanity will persist.  For instance, archaeologists may use the presence of certain cultivated plants – like daffodils and periwinkles – to identify sites of former homesteads long after the buildings disappear. I considered this when selecting the plants depicted in the animation. 

To create the dreamlike visuals, I used scanography to capture most of the animated assets.  Scanography, a portmanteau of scanner and photography, is a process that uses a flatbed scanner to create digital images. Each item scanned was considered for its aesthetic and symbolic value. As the animation progresses, the scratched, dirty, and desaturated industrial objects transition to brightly colored insects, flowers, and lush green leaves. Scanned fossils are hidden amongst the rocks and allude to fossil fuels, extinction, and humanity’s temporary existence on the planet. The scanned snakeskin, a recurring theme in my work, symbolizes growth, transformation, and transition. The role of the seed represents how tiny forces can catalyze events that dismantle an entire system. 

Transition System was featured in Spark VII: Industrial Afterglow. 

You can view the animation here.