Crafting Environmental Discourse Through Anthropomorphic Character Design and 3D Animation
EVO is a practice-oriented, artistic research project that asks how anthropomorphic character design and 3D animation might be used to shape environmental narratives that reflect the designer’s subjective worldview. This project is made in recognition of the steady degradation of our natural world, accelerated by the current anthropocentric era of human superiority and indifference. The project acknowledges and responds to this situation by creating a bespoke anthropomorphic orangutan character within a preserved Bornean environment to nurture the audience’s empathetic connection to our natural Earth. The study employs heuristic inquiry to reveal the subjectivity of the researcher within the framework-based development of a 3D-animated short film, delineating eight methods of technical and creative 3D animation production to chronicle the subjective design choices of the researcher. In doing so, this study asserts the application of anthropomorphic design and animation within environmental discourse as the opportunity for audiences to see the world with renewed empathy.
