Embowered II’ (2021) is situated in an art and animation practice that embraces 3D computer animation to explore themes and tensions around nature and culture and conceptions of the utopian and the dystopian, through the rendering of complex digital ecosystems. This work imagines endlessly revolving structures situated in an infinite void. To be ‘embowered’ is to be sheltered, in a state of enclosure, protected, trapped, or preserved for contemplation. Here homogeneous human figures appear as multiple uncanny digital doppelgangers, enacting ritual-like scenarios, coalescing into complex moving ornaments enclosed in ceaseless loops, endlessly generative cycles in a form of animated stasis.
Gregory Bennett is an Aotearoa/New Zealand-born and based digital artist who explores conceptions of the utopian and dystopian through representations of the multiplied digital body. He utilises the medium of 3D animation as his primary creative tool in a creative practice which encompasses video, motion capture, projection mapping, interactive media and virtual reality. His works are exhibited as projection or screen-based work in art galleries and large-scale outdoor public venues, as online work, or as part of curated screening programmes and festivals. Bennett’s work has been exhibited internationally including in the USA, Hong Kong, China, Australia, and Europe. He is currently Head of Department for Digital Design and Visual Arts at the Auckland University of Technology School of Art and Design.
