FUNGI ALPHABET

DATE

2023

ABOUT

Phygital art
Animation
Design

THE PROJECT

36 Days of Type is a global creative challenge in which artists and designers craft a letter or number each day for 36 days or join in with their favorite characters. This was my second time participating, and for this edition, I focused on the 26 Latin alphabet letters.

For this series, I wanted to put fungi and plants center stage, letting them become the protagonists of each scene. Each letter inhabits a looping, animated world — playful, surreal, and constantly in motion. The goal was to create a space where viewers could loose themselves in the details, watching endlessly without interruption.

I approached the project as a blend of physical and digital — what is often referred to as  “Phygital.” Every letter began as a handmade sculpture, crafted with air-dry clay, then digitalized through photogrammetry, and brought to animated life.

The music and sound design were composed by the talented Aaron Graham It was a real joy to collaborate with him on this — I highly recommend exploring his work.

THE ANIMATION

Each letter features its own mushroom species and mood, brought to life with a custom soundtrack by Aaron Graham. Click any pictures below to watch the animations on Instagram.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

For this project, I explored clay modeling for the first time, working with air-hardening clay — a medium I had long wanted to try. Once each letter was sculpted and fully dried, I photographed it on a 360° turntable to capture all the data needed for 3D reconstruction, then brought the models into 3D software for animation and simulation.

THE MUSHROOMS

Drawing from real species for reference, I developed a series of mushrooms and slime molds. Experimenting with simulation settings to mimic the natural behavior of airborne spores was a lot of fun, and the diversity of shapes and colors made the process even richer.

THE ANIMATED PROCESS

Another look behind the scenes.

THE BOOK

Some of my work from this project is featured in Au cœur du vivant — Les liens entre les artistes et la nature (At the Heart of the Living: The Links Between Artists and Nature), a book by Valérie Belmokhtar and Pyramid-edition.

The book explores the relationship between artists and nature, and how art can be a way to reconnect with the living world and celebrate its diversity and resilience. It features many talented artists from around the globe — I highly recommend picking up a copy. Available on their website and in Fnac stores, museum bookshops, and cultural venues (French only).

EXTERNAL LINKS

SHOW
REEL

CREDITS