The Construction of Anstalt3000

BACKGROUND: This philosophical animation explores creating experimental video within digital design practice. Like the work of filmmaker David O'Reilly, it questions the modes of digitally representing reality. By investigating an alternative to telling a singular interconnected story and rendering reality photo-realistically, the work critically distances itself from widely popular forms of animation. CONTRIBUTION: By exploring non-photo-realistic rendering to tell of an unrealistic narrative, the work parodies the unquestioned assumptions regarding reality dominating the common aesthetics of conventional 3D animation. Thus, the project sets the stage for a further study of the philosophical underpinning of digitally representing reality through the means of parody. The significance of the work lies in presenting an answer to the serious philosophical topic of representing reality in a ridiculous way. SIGNIFICANCE: Through not taking itself seriously, it gained serious attention across the globe by being exhibited by the Oscar-qualifying film festival South by Southwest as well as one of the world’s most prestigious media art venues, Ars Electronica.