Porthé's cubic animation for 20syl music video zooms from micro to macro
Music: French director Porthé has animated a series of cubes to zoom out from the scale of an atom to a whole universe for this video for producer 20syl.
![20syl – Back and Forth music video DMP Dezeen Music Project](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/05/20syl-Back-and-Forth-Dezeen-Music-Project_dezeen_sq.gif)
Describing his job as "translating what we hear into images," Porthé worked with 20syl – AKA Sylvain Richard – to create imagery that fitted alongside the electronic track Back & Forth.
![20syl – Back and Forth music video DMP Dezeen Music Project](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/05/20syl-Back-and-Forth-Dezeen-Music-Project_dezeen_468_0.jpg)
"I've always liked 20syl's work," Porthé told Dezeen, "I sent him an animation, he liked it and composed a song for it."
![20syl – Back and Forth music video DMP Dezeen Music Project](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/05/20syl-Back-and-Forth-Dezeen-Music-Project_dezeen_468_1.jpg)
The video starts at an atomic scale, with cube-shaped electrons orbiting a larger nucleus.
![20syl – Back and Forth music video DMP Dezeen Music Project](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/05/20syl-Back-and-Forth-Dezeen-Music-Project_dezeen_468_3.jpg)
The cubes begin to coalesce into larger particles and then morph into components of microchips, while the view constantly zooms out to reveal larger and larger structures.
![20syl – Back and Forth music video DMP Dezeen Music Project](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/05/20syl-Back-and-Forth-Dezeen-Music-Project_dezeen_468_4.jpg)
"The images convey what the music means and illustrate the construction and evolution of the song," said Porthé.
![20syl – Back and Forth music video DMP Dezeen Music Project](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/05/20syl-Back-and-Forth-Dezeen-Music-Project_dezeen_468_5.jpg)
Presenting animated keyboards, computers, then buildings and cities, the video continues to zoom further outward until it passes through the solar system and out into the vastness of space.
![20syl – Back and Forth music video DMP Dezeen Music Project](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/05/20syl-Back-and-Forth-Dezeen-Music-Project_dezeen_468_6.jpg)
Porthé explained the animation is intended to represent "a journey from the infinitely small to the infinitely big in a musical world".
![20syl – Back and Forth music video DMP Dezeen Music Project](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/05/20syl-Back-and-Forth-Dezeen-Music-Project_dezeen_468_7.jpg)
A colour scheme of red, black and beige runs throughout the video, which is entirely presented in an isometric format – strictly using lines and edges that are vertical or angled 30 degrees from horizontal.
![20syl – Back and Forth music video DMP Dezeen Music Project](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/05/20syl-Back-and-Forth-Dezeen-Music-Project_dezeen_468_8.jpg)
"Electronica is digital and organic," Porthé said. "The shapes are cubic Minimalist and the colour red represents the power of the sound."
![20syl – Back and Forth music video DMP Dezeen Music Project](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/05/20syl-Back-and-Forth-Dezeen-Music-Project_dezeen_468_9.jpg)
The director created the images entirely using Abode Illustrator software and assembled them together into an animation with After Effects.
![20syl – Back and Forth music video DMP Dezeen Music Project](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/05/20syl-Back-and-Forth-Dezeen-Music-Project_dezeen_468_11.jpg)
The music video took between four and five weeks to complete from conception to completion.
Back & Forth is taken from 20syl's Grounds II EP, released earlier this year.