Brett Foxwell is an animator who uses stop-motion, time-lapse, motion graphics and other techniques, and he's always looking for a new method to experiment with. WoodSwimmer was made by photographing cut trees as layers were milled away from the wood. The effect is that of traveling through the wood itself.
“Fascinated with the shapes and textures found in both newly-cut and long-dead pieces of wood, I envisioned a world composed entirely of these forms,” Foxwell told Colossal. “As I began to engage with the material, I conceived a method using a milling machine and an animation camera setup to scan through a wood sample photographically and capture its entire structure. Although a difficult and tedious technique to refine, it yielded gorgeous imagery at once abstract and very real. Between the twisting growth rings, swirling rays, knot holes, termites and rot, I found there is a lot going on inside of wood.”
WoodSwimmer is less than two minutes long, and you will be mesmerized the entire time. It's hard to look away from the ever-shifting wood images. The music is by Bedtimes. Read more about the video at Foxwell's website.