Re-imagining Movement and Growth in the Sea: Hinode by Tetsuka Niiyama

© Natalia Rifai with CCLicense
© Natalia Rifai with CCLicense

The sea is full of movement, from the motion of small rocks, seeds and other particles carried by the water to the growth of plants and animals. The impressionistic film below uses computer generated images (CGI) to re-imagine these underwater dancers as jewels, creating crystalline forms that reflect and refract light. Shimmering sea horses and slinky jellyfish, undulating seaweed and starlike anemones are kin to the particles carried on the waves. Unbelievably beautiful and magical!

The film is entitled Hinode, Japanese for Sunrise. It is directed and animated by Tetsuka Niiyama using 3dsMax and V-Ray software. Niiyama is a dreamer who makes aesthetic depictions of things that are hard to see and hard to describe. What connotations do these forms hold for you?

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