VELLUM. is an experimental audio visual piece exploring themes of framing, texture, and movement. Functioning as an extension of sampling, the work relies heavily on the concept of "lost and found" media, utilising foraged materials to evoke a potent mix of nostalgia, voyeurism, and dissonance.

Aesthetically, the project draws from a dark, sinister atmosphere, inspired by the surreal and unsettling works of David Firth (Salad Fingers), the structuralist approach of Stan Brakhage's Mothlight, and the hazy, nostalgic textures found in Boards of Canada's The Campfire Headphase.

"Degradation as generation, removal of agency as an artist."

Visual Process: Destructive Editing

The visual pipeline for Vellum was built around obscuration and natural masking. After initially editing and compositing the footage using blending modes in DaVinci Resolve, I exported the project to intentionally degrade it further using self emulated halation and film grain.

This deliberate destruction of pristine video quality served as a generative act. By leaning into artifacts, pixelation, and aggressive colour degradation, the footage adopted a found-footage quality that feels inherently voyeuristic and eerie.

Score & Transformative Mixing

The audio landscape of Vellum is constructed entirely from hyper manipulated samples. Rather than composing a traditional musical score, the sound design acts as a textural companion to the visuals.

A key element of this process involved transformative mixing, relinquishing absolute control over the audio and allowing automation paths linked to the video's movement to shape the final sound. This organic connection between the audio and visual elements added an unsettling rhythm to the piece, anchoring the darker, scarier aesthetic ambitions I had set out to achieve.