Promoting empathy through close encounters with virtual animals

Animated Animals

Animals have featured in animation since its inception but most have been romanticized representations, designed to be cute or to act as metaphors in a story about humans. With the rise of 3D computer animation and digital effects, visual styles and techniques used to represent animals have expanded. Works in this collection use emerging animation technologies to create digital representations that afford affective or emotionally moving experiences. The ultimate aim of these close encounters is to promote respect and empathy for animals and their worlds.

The works are based on careful observation of real-world animals, but they vary stylistically from “low-poly” to photo-real. Exhibition formats include interactive AR and VR experiences, large-scale projections, screen-based short films, and site-specific public artworks.