Shannon C Sullivan - Animation, Projection, and Immersion

Seasons: An Immersive Experience in Different Perspectives  

Dome Projection 

This project is the result of a special collaboration between SCAD and the Museum of Arts and Science in Macon, GA. As a part of this class, I got to learn the many different methods of dome projection production and the privilege of seeing my piece projected in the planetarium.

When coming up with a concept for my project, I had to strongly consider both my strengths as an artist as well as the shape and dimensions of the space in which the piece would be shown. With these considerations in mind, I was inspired by vintage animation devices like the Kinetoscope and Zoetrope.

With this style in mind, I chose to create animal walk cycles. To keep the idea of separate animation discs, I decided to create different walk cycles for different seasons. 

Once I had my animation frames and background assets illustrated, I moved into After Effects for animation. I created my environments in a 2:1 rectangular composition. Once all the animations were done, I used the VR Converter effect to create the circular output. This circular composition could be previewed in the traditional flat format but also in dome simulators, like Amateras, which can be then be viewed in VR. 

BEEPLE STUDIOS

Soon after I completed my dome projection, it was announced that SCAD was going to be collaborating with BEEPLE STUDIOS, a multidisciplinary studio, digital gallery, and experiential space. 

With a limited production timeline, I decided to reformat and expand upon my previous Dome Projection project for this unique space. While still using the original animations, I sourced and created new assets to create background environments. I also created new assets to create paired animated elements on the pillars of the room. 

On May 10th, 2024, the SCAD Student Showcase took place at BEEPLE STUDIOS and Seasons was ranked as one of the top projects! 

Digital Graffiti

Digital Graffiti at Alys Beach is an innovative and dynamic event that celebrates the intersection of projection art and architecture. During the event, international artists display their original digital art upon the white walls of Alys Beach, transforming the SoWal town into a vibrant canvas of motion, color, light, and fun! SCAD students were invited to take over two different structures during the event. 

Caliza Courts Cyborg

This is the piece I created that was featured on the Caliza Courts, a set of row houses spanning over 240 feet across. 

My original inspiration for this project was the Bladerunner-esque billboards so, I licensed a 3D model of a cyborg to animate my beginning and ending sequences in Cinema 4D.  I then composited this character animation into scenes of my own 2-D animations and stock videos in After Effects. Finally using a template and the MadMapper software, the final video was projected onto the building using 2 separate projectors.  

Butteries Tower

For this piece, I created spaceship illustrations in Adobe Illustrator. I then animated these assets and other background elements in Adobe After Effects, utilizing 3D layers to achieve a 2.5D look for some extra depth. 

As the final step, I exported the final video onto a scaled template of the tower and used MadMapper to project it onto the building itself.