Eden

How do we humans perceive nature? Very often, when we think of nature, we think of untamed wildernesses, places devoid of human presence and free of human influence. This is problematic because it is a simplistic and unrealistic vision of nature. In reality, few places on earth can be said to be completely free of human influence. It is important to realise this and move past limited/skewed understandings of nature, for only when we see how closely we are tied to nature will we fully comprehend the impact of our actions and the weight of our choices. Eden is an animated film about a man trying to escape civilization and seek the purity of nature. Our protagonist is a man who lives in a grey, lifeless city where everything is mechanized and everyone looks the same. Every day he goes to work at a factory, where everyone works the same tedious, mind-numbing job. Every evening after work, he returns to his cramped, cell-like house (all the houses also look the same). In our protagonist's house, however, there is a spot of colour amidst all the grey. Hanging opposite his bed is a small picture of a beautiful island in the middle of the ocean. Every night the man gazes longingly at the picture and dreams of nature, of an escape from the grey, soul-crushing tedium of his existence in the city. One day, quite by accident, our protagonist discovers a map behind the picture that points him to the island. After much trial, he reaches the island, and it is as beautiful as he dreamed it would be. However, he soon discovers that things are not quite what they seem... With this project, I aim to subvert stereotypical views of nature. Hopefully, this gets viewers thinking, and encourages them to re-evaluate the way they look at things.Bachelor of Fine Art