Against a skyscape coloured backdrop, Alex McLeod’s digital animation, Drawforest, 2015 appears as a visually complex computer rendering that very intentionally conceives of itself. Created exclusively for Sedition the work illustrates the cyclical nature of creation and conclusion.

Appearing as though the hand of technology is far superior to the calculated impressions of man, the music composed by Andrea Pessino envelopes the scene, and a self-generating graphic draws the audience further into this artificial world. An initial architectonic central structure evolves into something much more organic, as a cylindrical steel-like frame transforms into an impressive conifer rising from a triangular patterned polar landscape of trees and snow. Gridlines dissect the landscape as a reminder of the eternal geometry of nature.

McLeod’s landscape opens up to reveal what appears to be a misplaced skull, which recalls the ill-fitting memento mori in Hans Holbein’s 1533 painting, The Ambassadors. More symbolic than scenery, McLeod’s skull serves to alter the narrative of his work, opening up this self-referential and self-contained world into a wider paradigm. Where a contrasting palette might prove more convincing of an extreme panorama, McLeod intentionally constructs a monochromatic image that is punctuated in the final instance by falling downwards into a well, into which the audience is also drawn as McLeod’s edition reaches its conclusion.

Music: Remembrance Excerpt (strings) by Andrea Pessino