Super-fan: The short history of the universe

Torun, Poland – Novina Studio, a graphics and animation shop founded by Warsaw-based Grzegorz Nowinski, has created Beginning, a film about the birth of life and the universe that was projected onto a fan of water at an outdoor event earlier this year.

In the midst of apocalyptic chatter about the Mayan calendar, Nowinski decided to make a film that shifts focus back to the question of our origins. In stark black and white, the animation moves from a series of dazzling cosmic explosions to the formation of the earth, water, landscapes and life.

With the edges of the screen formed by the misty fringe of the water jets, the digital animation merges almost seamlessly into the real world, to powerful effect.

The aesthetics of science are becoming more pervasive in performance and throughout popular culture. For more, attend our Spring/Summer 2013 Trend Briefing.