cellular (2021)

The brief asks to create an animation for a selected audio that will reveal, illuminate and increase accessibility to the RSA’s unique content. The chosen audio, ‘Act Together’ by Vivek Murthy, focuses on the central issues of interconnectedness and divisions within our society, and how deep divisions that have developed over time has affected our ability to respond and work through world issues (global pandemics, climate change, racism) together. To combat this, we must build relationships with each other through our differences as we would with our own family members, and see each other in our broader humanities.

To see each other in our broader humanity going forward, we should consider looking back. The earliest sign of life on Earth we know of were microscopic organisms (microbes) that left signals of their presence in rocks about 3.7 billion years ago. These signals consisted of a type of carbon molecule that existed in an environment void of oxygen and high in methane. While they can process lots of chemicals, microbes did not have the specialized cells that are needed for complex bodies. Microbes are just single cells with no organelles and no nuclei to package their DNA. 

Something revolutionary happened as microbes began living inside other microbes, functioning as organelles for them. Mitochondria, the organelles that process food into energy, evolved from these mutually beneficial relationships. Also, for the first time, DNA became packaged in nuclei. These new complex cells, known as eukaryotic cells, has specialized parts playing specialized roles that supported the whole cell.

Cells also began living together, probably because certain benefits could be obtained. Groups of cells might be able to feed more efficiently or gain protection from simply being bigger. Living collectively, cells began to support the needs of the group by each cell doing a specific job. Some cells were tasked with making junctions to hold the group together, while other cells made digestive enzymes that could break down food. In a sense, this is still what we do for each other as individuals in our communities now, evolved from these cells billions of years later. However, unlike those cells, we deal with conflicts that stretch from our inner circle to the whole world. The call to action is to solve this by building interconnected relationships post global pandemic, coming to act together.

The aim of this project is to demonstrate to the target audience that even though we have differences, and it may be hard to communicate with one another, we all came from the same place, and that it is vital in times like these that we come together.

The target audience for this animation is older children and young teenagers, aged between 10-16. It could help children initially understand the concept of interconnectedness or divisions within our society or may assist in education among older children who are easily distracted. The ambiguity of the cell’s features means it could be shown anywhere geographically but may be most effective in Europe or other places that have known great conflict, such as the US.

The animation pairs back the representation of the connectivity and divisions in society by using a single cell that divides into two and interacts gently with each other throughout the piece. They build a relationship by merging back together, returning to a blank single cell, before dividing again – but this time together – in colourful multiples, and spreading out to take up the whole screen. The animation ends with one eye emerging again, blinking, looking out towards the viewer, to bring them in and build a relationship with them.