The Lava Log is a series of digital animation loops and works on canvas and paper.
Initially, I created each Lava Log digitally, assembling hundreds of images of stock photography, Google Image Search deep cuts, and 00’s internet memes into collages. I then recreated them in Photoshop and animated them in 30 second to 2 minute loops.
The music and sound accompanying the complete works you find on thelavalog.com were created in a similar fashion. Sean Yeaton (Parquet Courts) experimented with failing tech and analog machines to develop music tracks and Ryan Dann (Holland Patent Public Library) created sound design based with found sound effects.
Together, the works in the Lava Log recontextualize this discarded found imagery and sound to composite unsettling portraits of modern life. The digital animations depict people engaged in tiny, Sisyphean gestures, while the physical works distill animations down into their decisive moments, allowing the viewer to more carefully consider the cluttered landscapes.
The lavalog website, developed by Rob Grazioli, is the perfect setting to experience the full works— a pre-platform internet experience.