Released
in 2009, Danny Robashkin's animated short Envirometer involves
a theme that remains just as relevant today. The four minute story
builds to a crescendo beginning with what appears to be a rather
peaceful scene of environmentally conscious people living in perfect
harmony with nature. A healthy young lady turns our attention to the
titular Envirometer which,
as its name suggests, resembles a colossal dual barometer which looms
over civilisation in a “godlike” manner as the info web page for
the film suggests. One of these two meters indicates the level of
environmentally friendly activities taking place in its presence.
Much to the lady's satisfaction, this meter rises as she commits acts
of mass recycling. However, the whole occurrence aggravates an
onlooking industrialist who promptly retaliates by materialising a
lemonade stand. The subsequent demand for lemonade cause the carbon
footprint side of the meter to outweigh the eco-friendly side. This
leads into a growing battle between the ecologists and the
industrialists as they attempt to take over each other's lifestyles.
As a result, The Envirometer overloads and the following eruption
sweeps away all of the players' efforts who now recognise the error
of their ways and choose to allow nature and technology to coexist in
perfect harmony. The point is further illustrated as the afore
mentioned ecologist lady and the industrialist man hold hands and
walk towards the horizon.
It
would be difficult for anybody living in current times not to
recognise any of the issues highlighted in Envirometer.
Robashkin delivers a simplified and stylised rendition of the
anxieties our society has concerning the condition of our planet's
climate. Aaron Quist's character designs and the animation resembles
the Flash inspired style made popular by internet sensations such as
Happy Tree Friends and Chilly
Beach therefore giving it a
fittingly current feel. Nevertheless, the discerningly clean and
sharp lines in the artwork are almost ironic due to its use in
portraying what should appear to be a filthy and dystopian
environmental disaster. The real fears generated by our carbon
footprint do not seem to materialise in Envirometer
despite its very conceivable build up. Unfortunately, the aftermath
of the Envirometer going into meltdown seems almost quixotic as the
dust settles far too soon to truly justify our fears of global
warming.
Envirometer from makevisual on Vimeo.
