Inspiration was taken from the remarkable Immortal Jellyfish, which is able to regenerate and begin its life cycle over again.
Director Roland Lane began developing the concept behind the 8-minute animation a couple of years ago. “I have an increasing interest in using my work to address climate change, it is the defining crisis for my generation. The oceans have long been seen as a barometer for the world’s global health and hold all kinds of beauty, when I discovered this little jellyfish I thought it was incredible: less than 5 mm wide, it can essentially regenerate when it’s stressed, under threat, or conditions aren’t right. It has a resilient nature which brings a message of hope to the work, within the wider warning.”
Roland came to Cinesite in September with a detailed brief and reference footage; concept work soon began, along with animation tests and previsualisation, planning how the action would play out across all five walls.
FORSAKEN is separated into three acts. The first and third illustrate the Immortal jellyfish’s life-cycle. In the first, we see cells descending to the ocean floor which turn into polyps from which larvae emerge, turning into a cloud of small adult jellyfish.
The final act shows the creatures’ death, each turning into a light of remembrance as their lives end. A single, final jellyfish dies and drifts to the ocean floor, representing the end of the cycle. The middle act is a more abstract sequence which reimagines an adult medusa jellyfish filling the immersive space, a dynamic and colourful representation.
Vibrant use of colour was an important creative choice on the bright LED screens. The subtle bioluminescence of the first and third acts contrast with the second, which features neon colours and a bright palette reminiscent of tropical sea life.
While the first and last acts illustrate the Immortal Jellyfish’s life cycle, the spectacular middle section enthrals audiences with its colour and intensity. The diverse style of the chapters supports the dual purpose of the work; both to create an entertaining and engaging artwork and to convey the important environmental message. Roland asserts, “We needed to create impact through scale and movement around the space and harnessing the immersive magic of the venue was important. We needed to tick both boxes.”
Creating FORSAKEN was quite the technical challenge. Visualisation was achieved using a combination of Unreal Engine and internal tools which allowed the team to scrub and pan around the 360° environment on a desktop. On the wider challenge, Cinesite VFX Supervisor Andy McNamara surmises, “I don’t think too many people have attempted a full 3-D 8K rendition, certainly not in Europe’s largest digital exhibition space. One of the biggest challenges we faced was how to render in a timely way this expanded 360° view. We really went for it, pushing ourselves and what was possible, ultimately creating 8 minutes of content, at 50 frames per second across the 5-wall canvas.”
Audience reactions to the work have been overwhelmingly positive, with London’s Evening Standard calling it, “aesthetically gorgeous.”
Andy says, “FORSAKEN really has a wow factor. Hearing audible gasps from people within the space, seeing them taking out their phones and getting excited when the huge jellyfish descends in the second act, is very satisfying.” Roland agrees. “It appeals to families, to people of all ages. But what works particularly well is that there are no barriers to entry. It is free to enter and people can leave at any point, so they can watch the work, enjoy the experience and take in the underlying message, then they are free to make their own judgement and go on their way. That is a very open, democratising way of presenting art.”
Fiona Nicholls Greenpeace UK interim head of oceans adds: “The oceans support all life on Earth but less than 1% of the global oceans are properly protected. Destructive industries, like deep sea mining or industrial fishing, are jeopardising the future health of the oceans, which we all rely on. Art is a powerful and universal way to touch people. With FORSAKEN, we have a unique opportunity to reach a vast range of people to showcase the beauty of oceans and their fragility, and inspire people to work with us to protect the oceans before it’s too late and more species are lost forever.”
Alexandra Payne, Outernet Head of Creative said: “We’re privileged at Outernet London to provide a platform to showcase works like FORSAKEN, so they may reach our audience of over 1.5 million visitors a month with such an important message. Outernet’s mission is to create experiences worth sharing across the spectrum of media and entertainment and thanks to our industry leading partners on this project Cinesite, Greenpeace and artist Roland Lane we’re confident of the impact this film will have in our space.”
On the subject of green energy Outernet Sam Webb, Head of Marketing Campaigns said ” Our approach to sustainability and the environment is a major priority for everyone here at Outernet, which is why we use one of the most energy-efficient LED screen products currently available in the world. In addition to this we only ever operate the screens at a fraction of their brightness capability in order to be as power efficient as possible.
We currently source our energy from ‘Smartest Energy’, a supplier who has a commitment to a more sustainable future. This electricity comes from independent, certified renewable sources across the UK including solar, wind, hydro and biofuel. All Outernet’s service partners are required to use recyclable materials wherever possible. Our single-point waste collection and management policy will ensure 0% waste to landfill and all equipment used to service Outernet will be 0% emission.
We are currently working with Planet Mark to optimise our measurement and aim to announce our Planet Mark’s business certification upon completing this process.”
All images © Forsaken, Roland Lane
Partners
- Directed by Roland Lane
- Produced by Frameless
- Animated by Cinesite
- Sound design by Gareth Fry
- Support from Greenpeace UK and Arts Council England
- Graphics by Jonny Stopford
- Screened by Outernet London