The animation recreates the world of fairy tales and once-upon-a-time stories using a small number of pixels. The animation is projected, but not on a screen installed in the gallery: viewers hold small blank books that serve as screens, and follow the story by walking from one scene to the next.
In a 2009 work titled “Low-vision,” the artist showed a pixel animation—consisting of simplified, low-pixel images—on a high-definition monitor, and invited viewers to watch it using a magnifying glass. The aim was to help viewers understand pixels as components of computer-displayed images, appreciate the meaning of resolution, and lead them to a more active viewing experience. Likewise in “Pixel Forest,” the artist explores and proposes a way of experiencing moving images that is different from the passive viewing experience offered by movies, TV and other media, by letting viewers move about the space freely in search of viewing spots, rather than sharing a fixed screen with others.
Pixel animations are also somewhat nostalgic for those who remember low-resolution computer screens or 1980s TV games. They reveal the creator’s ingenuity for conveying the movements and emotions of characters within the limited elements available.