Video animation of distorted forms and heavy dot texture. + Enlarge
Saltwater 01 2021 Animation on Paper
Video animation of distorted forms and heavy dot texture. + Enlarge
Saltwater 02 2021 Animation on Paper
Video animation of distorted forms and heavy dot texture. + Enlarge
Saltwater 03 2021 Animation on Paper
Video animation of distorted forms and heavy dot texture. + Enlarge
Saltwater 04 2021 Animation on Paper
Video animation of distorted forms and heavy dot texture. + Enlarge
Saltwater 05 2021 Animation on Paper
Statement

The body creates memories, like a machine creates outputs, and the ocean creates waves.

Saltwater is my senior thesis film, created by printing animation frames onto paper. This film draws from childhood memories of my family's time spent walking along concrete boat harbors, where I would find bits of furniture or rocks that appeared to be ripped from the foundations of homes. I wondered about the histories that live in these physical objects, making me ponder how the relationships and experiences in my current life will manifest in memories and physical forms. I used artificial intelligence to create many scenes in Saltwater, where I gave a program a series of archived photos that it attempted to recreate, much like a person struggling to recall a memory. This method was integral for my process, as I dealt with questions of control in an uncontrollable universe, where I sacrificed many aspects of control with this project - an exciting and terrifying task. With this film I hope share the desire to create material, permanent forms of love and self, an impossible task in a transitional life.

The music in Saltwater was created by Maya Halko, who brought the perfect meld of dreamy synths and broken architecture to this film.

Please check out http://www.declanmckenna.com/saltwater for updates and official releases of the film.

Animation (BFA) Students