Simulation of Animals in Motion through geometric forms

Geometric shapes are found throughout nature constantly. Bees build hexagon shapes in beehives since these require the least amount of wax to connect together. Spider webs look very similar to octagonal gradations providing greater resistance. Milkweeds have a perfectly aligned system inside each of their cones where it houses their umbrella like seeds. Humans have been inspired by these examples and we have applied them in a lot of our mechanical advances.

Nature and Animals is an inspiring field of knowledge that captivates my eye constantly, through their shapes and movements. Having been raised in a Forrest like setting with a diverse Flora and Fauna present, I have always searched for ways to relate nature in my work. Lego, my first artistic building block, was one of the key elements that allowed me to construct organic inspired forms (or structures), with geometric forms. This has been the reason why every time I see nature (flora or fauna), I transform what I see in building blocks, and imagine how these would connect and move together. Origami is a perfect example of how animals can be represented in another geometric abstraction / sintesis.

In my thesis I want to experiment with different animals of my selection, mainly because of their movement, and represent them in completely geometric shapes. Their movement in a natural setting will be animated in real time to demonstrate the animals’ movement as accurate as possible. The forms and shapes that make up each ones body structure will be related to Lego and Origami like shapes. I hope for this thesis to inspire others to see their surroundings in a completely different way and appreciate nature for its complexity, movement, but at the same time beauty.

Credits:
Design / Concept / Animation / Illustrations: Rainer Jurgens
Music By: Tycho – Send And Receive