Nexus thinks inside The Box
Nexus Studios has launched an evolving exhibition, called The Box, that unites multiple artists around a single creative brief: to interpret, through animation, the rhythm of box breathing.
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This new project from Nexus Studios is a collaborative endeavour for which a variety of Nexus artists brought their own ideas, techniques and visual language to the box breathing framework.
Released in time for World Mental Health Day this Saturday, October 10th, The Box is a website which centre's on box breathing, a relaxation technique that follows four equal stages: breathe in for four seconds, hold for four, breathe out for four, then hold again. The sixteen-second cycle shapes the animation and sound throughout the exhibition, giving audiences a rhythm they can breathe along with as they watch.
The Box feels more like a gallery, but one where the art is paired with thoughtful design and music.
The Box features original music and soundscapes by James Ford and Alex Lavery, as FRQNCYLDN, which connects the collection, with the music based on principles of sound meditation, where particular tones and overtones take a listener into a state of relaxation. The Box's contributing artists were free to explore their own subjects and approaches and the result is a collection that moves between playful invention, quiet observation and imagined worlds. Together, the works offer audiences a place to pause, find inspiration and enjoy a moment of calm.
Above: Some of the imagery featured on The Box site.
Contributors include directing collectives Shynola and Factory Fifteen, Hannah Lau-Walker, Kapi Kurtaran and Coup de Foudre, alongside Art Director Callum Strachan and 2D Animation Lead Beth Levy. Among the imagery The Box offers is a sailboat carried by the wind, the kaleidoscopic reflections of taillights in rain, and a playful construction resembling a cross between a Rubik’s Cube and a pinball machine. Elsewhere, birdwatching, woodland scenes and a soaring 3D papercraft journey offer different ways into the same measured rhythm.
“We wanted to create a place where we could showcase some of the brilliant creativity and artistry in our studio, uncoupled from commissioned brand work," said Anthony Austin, Lead EP Branded Content at Nexus Studios. "The Box feels more like a gallery, but one where the art is paired with thoughtful design and music to allow the viewer to find a moment of calm and inspiration.
"Box breathing is a powerful technique, and the music from the incredible Alex Lavery and James Ford is composed using auditory entrainment techniques to alter our brain frequencies into a more relaxed state. We hope our friends in the creative community can tune in and discover a moment of peace!
"I’ve used box breathing for a while now, I find it soothing when the mind is running too fast at night, and you need to slow everything down a bit," commented Levy. "I tried to push myself a bit on this project. More often than not, I work in a thick outline, more cartoonish style. Attempting a more painterly and fully rendered approach has been quite rewarding."
"For me, nothing is more relaxing than being in nature, so I wanted my animation to be nestled in the woods among the leaves with the dappled light glistening," added Lau-Walker. "Most of my work is very graphic, so this was a great opportunity to try my hand at a painterly style; my focus was to create painted backgrounds, keeping the animation minimal so it didn’t overpower the moments but just gave a little texture to peaceful scenes."
