Worldbuilding is a term often associated with science fiction and gaming. It is the construction of a coherent fictional imaginary world. My work uses that framework but in ways that eludes clear narratives and engages a more open-ended sense of exploration. The sense of building a world is offset with the climate-troubled realities that are clearly rebuilding the world we live in. I also use the 3D animation tools associated with gaming and sci-fi filmmaking, turning “special effects” more towards abstraction and creating indeterminate points of view. Much of the work is focused on moments of liminality —transitional periods where we see shifts from the known to the unknown. I often leverage grotesque or otherwise dark imagery to reflect harsh realities of our world.

My thesis, Incarnate, takes these elements and present them as speculative futures. Four animations are presented like chapters of a book. Each chapter explores a unique setting and narrative that can stand alone, but they build on each other and are interconnected through theme and style. I see each chapter as a meditation on how environmental destruction and human mortality are intimately intertwined.

henrybrownart.com /// @bort_irl