Traverse, 2024

This video was generated from more than two hundred AI stills stitched together to form a video. The images were created using a series of repeated "zoom out" commands. The video is the sequence of stills reversed so they zoom in starting with the last image in the series and ending with the first image. Music is original and non-generative, composed and performed by the artist.

Video Description:

This thirteen minute video zooms endlessly into a multitude of landscapes. It starts by moving into the darkness at the center of an abstract painting smattered with color. Through deeper into a scene surrounded by blue and orange galaxies. Now an alien cityscape in the darkness of space, an abstract fractal landscape, with blue and gold arcing bands. Sand with giant shells, and footprints leading into a serene lamp-lit townscape on the outskirts of a forest. Deeper into the autumn hued forest, over a stream, into the woods through another abstract painting standing on the shore of a swampy lake. The reds and oranges of fall give way to blue and red abstract blotches, then to a deep, blood red city street, buttressed by townhouses with three red moons and one white moon, the watery streets reflecting their light. Reds slowly give way to orange and tranquil lamplight on the streets. Now traveling past colorful blue and violet flowers, into a futuristic city. Mirrored skyscrapers and city lights are set in the sky on either side of the street. The buildings quickly crumble into a destroyed city with fire and dusty orange skies. An archway is encountered, stone and angular. Through the portal-like arch, a bizarre, twisting surrealist cityscape with a swirling scene of buildings, trees, roots, and vines. The city untwists. Now it becomes green and peaceful as the frogs come out. The night is dark, with bushy greenery on one either side while traveling along a canal. Now moving past the lights of a city built on either side of a river, reminiscent of Greek pillars. The city gives way to another autumn landscape, this time slowly creeping along a twisting stream into a more impressionist landscape. The sky darkens and a crescent moon sets as the scene becomes overwhelmed with dark purples and reds at sunset. A large sunburst sits on the horizon, followed by swirls of stars. The dark red forest flows into swirling dark clouds and dim lighted reflections on rocks. The rocks open into yet another stream, glowing with greens and purples. The light of dusk surrounds the trees. A moon sets and fireflies, or what seem like them are abound. The stream opens into a dark green cave. The cave mouth stops the stream and expands into a fiery lighted alien city with a white swirling giant moon in the sky. The jagged cityscape with firelight in the streets and pointed skyscrapers continue, finally opening into a rocky mountain. Through ring after ring of haloed fire crossing purple ringed fractals. A heartbeat starts. Then a planet. Not earth, but blue and swirling white. The music reaches a crescendo. Deeper now, through the sharp buildings of mushroom interrupted brown cities. Clouds build around the cities as shells and the shimmer of water emerges. Through shell after shell to a stark heartbeat with just a few notes of piano. The final chord rests on a curled twisting shell, covered in intricate cities, flourishing with waves and blue green plants.