Blending Worlds: Andréa Philippon's Digital Nature

Andréa Philippon is an exceptional multidisciplinary artist and visionary 3D designer residing in the picturesque city of Lausanne, Switzerland. Renowned for his outstanding talent in creating highly detailed 3D videos that seamlessly marry the realms of physical and digital worlds, Andréa’s creative endeavors are driven by a profound adoration for plants and fungi, coupled with an ever-growing fascination for ceramics, architectural design, and cutting-edge technology.

The essence of Andréa's work lies in his unique ability to weave together his varied passions, exploring the intersection where art, nature, and technology converge. This intersection fuels his creative vision, inspiring him to craft mesmerizing animations that evoke a sense of organic beauty and dynamic vibrancy. By blending real-world elements with digitally rendered landscapes, he brings to life a harmonious blend of nature’s essence and technological innovation in each of his projects.

As a meticulous creator, Andréa embarks on each new endeavor with a commitment to capturing the intrinsic energy, grace, and equilibrium of the natural world. His artistic repertoire is distinguished by a masterful fusion of diverse skills that he continually refines and updates to achieve the pinnacle of creative excellence. Throughout his career, Andréa has had the privilege of collaborating with esteemed artists in the music industry, including luminaries such as David Guetta, Björk, and Black Coffee. Additionally, his artistic prowess has attracted attention from global brands such as Adidas, Salomon, ESPN, Playstation, Motorola, and L'Occitane, for whom he has undertaken captivating commercial projects that showcase his unparalleled creativity.

The impact of Andréa's work transcends borders, with his artistry being showcased in prestigious exhibitions hosted in cultural hubs like Paris, Tokyo, and Shanghai. As a trailblazer in the realm of digital art, his visionary approach and unwavering dedication to pushing the boundaries of artistic expression have solidified his position as a luminary in the field, captivating audiences worldwide with his innovative creations.

Join our exclusive interview with Andréa Philippon x RED EYE:

Hello Andréa, welcome to RED EYE World. Can you elaborate on how your diverse artistic background influences your work and allows you to explore different mediums and techniques?

Hello, thanks for interviewing me! I had the chance to immerse myself in various artistic and technical disciplines, allowing me to have many approaches to my work today. For instance, my photography practice enables me to capture intricate details and nature references I often return to for base reference in my work. Another example is the use of photography to capture real-world objects and recompose them using software that allows me to bring the physical into the digital world. Whether working with traditional and physical materials like ceramic and photography or experimenting with digital art, each medium presents unique challenges and opportunities for expression that constantly evolve with technology, which I find fascinating.

Ultimately, this diversity in my artistic background helps me to tackle projects with a sense of curiosity, which is very important to me as I love learning new things and constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in my creations.

In your 3D videos, you seamlessly blend the physical and digital worlds. Can you walk us through your creative process in achieving this fusion? How do you decide which real-world elements to incorporate into your digitally rendered nature?

The mix of the physical and digital worlds is a captivating concept I love exploring in my creative process. When starting on projects like the 36 Days of Type, my approach is often driven by the desire to challenge myself and try new things. For this project, I wanted to craft each letter of the alphabet in clay sculpture, learn the photogrammetry process, and digitalize them in 3D models. All these things were new to me, and I had to learn them from scratch. I played with shapes and sculpted each letter with different kinds of day-life objects like forks, knives, or matches to give them unique textures and characters. This "handmade" approach was a very appealing process I had in mind for a long time.

In other projects, such as the Roof and Windows series, I draw inspiration from my extensive collection of reference images, capturing moments from travels and everyday life. For instance, a photograph taken during a visit to Venice inspired me. I have a wonderful memory of that moment, and it served as the catalyst for recreating intricate architectural details in 3D. Rather than relying on photogrammetry, I experimented with procedural modeling, developing tools to generate diverse window designs based on authentic references. Each element I incorporate into my work often holds personal significance that often mixes real-world elements with nature.

The intersection of nature, ceramics, sculptures, architecture, and technology is a prominent theme in your work. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind this exploration? How do you find harmony and balance among these diverse interests?
I don’t! Finding balance and harmony among the intersection of nature, ceramics, sculptures, architecture, and technology is a constant challenge in my artistic journey. Each day presents a struggle as I attempt to allocate time to these topics. They have intrigued me since childhood, and now, with technological advancements, I can seamlessly merge them together. And, of course, none of this would be possible as a 3D artist without the technology as we know it today. The endless possibilities that computer power gives have always fascinated me. With everything happening now and technology’s fast, evolving pace, tomorrow will be even more exciting.

Your passion for plants and fungi is evident in your creations. Could you delve deeper into how this adoration for the natural world drives your artistic vision? How do you translate the intricate details and organic beauty of plants and fungi into your animations?
Nature is my main inspiration in any personal work that I produce. I love to look closely at details we usually pay little attention to. When you look at flowers, moss, or mushrooms closely, you discover a whole new world of endless inspiration; the beauty of nature’s creation is all around us. Plants (and mushrooms), in general, have been the great winners of evolution; without them, life as we know it wouldn’t be possible. I give the viewer a way to perceive the natural world as an essential and complex living entity, allowing plants to move and making them more alive than we think they are in our world.

We’ve always seen the vegetal world as a semi-living entity or in a "vegetative state," but I believe they are way more complex and exciting than that.

Making stuff for the music industry is more appealing to me, probably because we don’t consume it the same way we consume advertising. I remember reading somewhere that the average American is exposed to between 4’000 and 10’000 ads per day, which is insane! Now, suppose I compare watching an ad to watching a video clip made for your number one artist. In that case, it is an experience done voluntarily and with excitement and love, which gives a much deeper sense of what I create and a joyful feeling incomparable to any commercial project I could work on. But don’t get me wrong, some commercial projects are great to work on, too! I just think they don’t have the same impact on people in the end.

Your commercial projects encompass a wide range of well-known brands. How do you approach marrying your artistic expression with the commercial objectives of the clients? Can you share a specific example where you successfully navigated this balance?
Sure, the last example I can mention is the animation made for Christmas last year (2023) commissioned by Zara. Today, I’m lucky enough to have the ability to choose the projects that interest me the most. For this reason, it’s been two years since I told any new clients and clients I worked with that my main focus area today as a creative is digitally-rendered NATURE! Any new project that involves creating animated plants, flowers, moss, mushrooms, or anything related to the natural world is a project that grabs my attention. Of course, there are other things that I like, but this is how I approach new projects. I see this as a win-win situation where I keep doing something I like and evolving my skills in this niche, and at the same time, clients are happy as they know I’ll give my best for their projects. With this kind of relationship, it’s very easy to navigate between the artistic and commercial worlds; any new constraint the clients have brings new creative ideas, and as long as I do what I like, everything runs smoothly.

Your work has been exhibited in various cities globally. How has the experience of showcasing your art in different cultural contexts enhanced your artistic development? Have you noticed any notable differences in how your work is received and interpreted across different regions?
It made me more aware of the interconnections that we share in our daily lives. It’s unbelievable to think I can share my art with people on the other side of the world without leaving my house! It made me think about human boundaries and frontiers and how much diversity exists in our world. It opens up many more artistic possibilities, which is super inspiring, and architecture is one of my favorites! I didn’t notice any significant differences in how my work was received based on the location in which it was exhibited. All the people who contacted me after seeing my work are always very kind, no matter where they come from. I think what I create resonates with people because it’s all about Nature. And who doesn’t love Nature, right? We can all connect with it, no matter where we’re from.

The field of 3D design and animation is constantly evolving. How do you stay updated with the latest technologies and techniques in order to create cutting-edge work? Are there any specific resources, training programs, or communities that have been particularly helpful in your continuous skill development?
I can’t keep track of all updates, techniques, or technologies, but I do my best to stay informed on what’s possible using different tools, mainly by following artistic and 3D social media accounts. Recently, I came across the new OpenAI model named Sora, which is just mind-blowing. The relentless pace of technological evolution can be a source of stress at times, but as a digital artist, I can’t ignore them. I wish I could, but this is part of the creative process, too! It’s good to work out of our comfort zone, it gives a broader view of what’s possible and, in the end, elevates the general quality of the work.

There are a lot of great resources on the web, and it depends on what you are trying to achieve, but YouTube is a great place to find answers! I can name a few specific platforms and people, like Entagma, Paul Esteves, Rich Nosworthy, and CGWiki, who helped develop my skills, but there are many more very talented people and plentiful resources out there.

Can you provide us with a sneak peek into any upcoming projects or collaborations that you are currently working on? How are these new endeavors pushing the boundaries of your artistic practice?
I have a very interesting artistic and commercial project going on; this will involve ceramic, the film industry, and plants & flowers, of course! But I can’t say much more about it today; it will be released mid-year. Another exciting project I’m working on is about nature and evolution, focusing on flowers. I’ve always wanted to create flowers, and that has been my goal for a very long time. All the projects I did in the past are mainly a result of research and projects going in that direction. Today, I feel like I have the skills to get somewhere I can finally be happy with, but I still have a lot of work to do, so I’m pushing myself in that direction! Looping animations are also a thing I want to add to my arsenal!

Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring artists and designers who are interested in pursuing a career at the intersection of 3D animation and nature-inspired art? Are there any key lessons or insights from your own journey that you would like to share with them?
Learning 3D is a very time-consuming hobby! Seeing the pace of technology’s evolution, I recommend looking into the newest things available today and playing with as many tools as possible right from the start. It’s all about trying, testing, and learning every single day. Invest in yourself! Invest in training courses, software, and suitable hardware. Nothing’s worse than waiting for your computer to render simulations or images.

It is expensive in the beginning, but it is the best deal you can make to learn faster and go further in your career!

I’ve invested some money into hardware and software since the beginning and keep doing it, so I constantly improve my setup and workflow, which results in more time to learn and experiment with the tools to achieve my artistic vision faster. Also, save time refining work; in the early days, it’s better to create ten projects, even if they are not perfect, than getting obsessed with just one or two super-polished ones. A letter to your future self.

Don’t be too hard on yourself, take some time to enjoy the little things :)

Interview by @mirawanderlust

Images courtesy of @andrea_philippon

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