Artwork
3D Animated Projector
The natural world versus the urban environment. Over the past several hundred years, urban planning has reclaimed land once attuned to nature. Some instances of urbanization have tried to incorporate and respect the natural landscape, attempting to be an addendum to our world. Other designs had no intention to integrate open space, organic matter, natural color, or a balance that once was. Our trees have been replaced with radio towers and our rolling hills by luxury hotels, peering over the vistas of concrete and infrastructure.
Prana is a contextual digital simulacrum. Inhabiting the natural and urban worlds simultaneously, a cellular tower moves with a breeze as vegetation overtakes its surroundings—Mimicry of a natural process. Prana brings to light the uncanny valley that has become our dense urban surroundings. Using uncanny perspective as play, the simulation encourages viewers to seek out the single point of perspective, eventually leading them to the most significant open landscape for blocks. Grounding the audience in a place and time surrounded by the fruits of urban planning. A metropolitan world fashioned via a need to grow and conquer all that is available.
Forever dedicated to the narrative, Daniel's work in media and design has grown to incorporate robotics, UX/UI, media architecture, passive projections of media, Forced perspective, anamorphosis, and physical computing. Working from his Atlanta Digital Design Studio, Daniel strives for innovative ways to blend design philosophies to create connection, wonder, and curiosity- beyond novelty.
Daniel Phelps has worked in art and design for over 20 years. Always focused on the affordances of emerging technology in Illusionary mediums, non-fiction narratives, and experience design, his integrated media and documentary work has been demonstrated in art galleries, film festivals, and multimedia installations around the country. This work captures the histories of time and place in multiple 2D and 3D mediums, blending emergent technological artifacts via robotics, mixed reality, and other forms of digital fabrication for the applied sciences and multi-modal documentary arts.