Explore the frayed relationship with the modern world in this wood block print animation from Common Works

Makerversity, a community that aims to help anyone who identifies as a ‘maker’ — from designers to inventors and engineers — is celebrating five years of being a Somerset House resident.

Makerversity used their anniversary festivities to focus one of our most celebrated materials: wood. For the first in their Makerversity Presents series: Pictures of the Floating World – they’ve created an experimental woodblock print animation by design studio Common Works.

Taking its name and narrative inspiration from the 17th-century Japanese art from ‘Ukiyo-e’, Pictures Of The Floating World is an experimental animation made entirely from woodblock prints, produced using traditional cell animation, hand printing techniques and custom digital programs.

The short film open with a behind-the-scenes insight into the process, before launching into a monochamratic day in the life of someone over five minutes. It aims to fuse traditional forms with the modern, – and the result is a slightly frayed relationship with the modern world as we drudge through office life at the behest of our computers.

You can watch the film exclusively below!