Enchanting Short Film Uses Pigments and Inks To Mimic Earth’s Breathtaking Landscapes

Fluid Art

One of the more popular genres of abstract painting is fluid art. And though the final pieces themselves can be very beautiful, the actual pouring process is also fascinating to observe; colors flow together, forging winding paths and merging into non-representational forms. Roman De Giuli, the German photographer and filmmaker behind Terracollage, captures the organic movement of his fluid compositions in 8K videos. Combining the footage with expert sound design and background music, he elevates the abstract configurations to a cinematic plane. In his latest project, SATELLIKE, the artist mingles earth tones with a natural color palette to imitate the scenic landscapes of Asia.

De Giuli completed SATELLIKE as part of a project he executed for the National Palace Museum of Taipeh, where he was asked to create abstract fluid interpretations of several iconic drawings and artworks in the institution's collection. Over a period of four months, he experimented with a variety of handcrafted inks, pigments, and other natural substances—including jade, malachite powder, and even sand—creating designs mimicking vibrant earth-scapes that transform before your very eyes. You could almost imagine that you're getting a bird’s eye view of magnificent deltas or rushing rivers as they burst through deep canyons.

“What you see in SATELLIKE are very long shots of watery ink in motion on several coats of half-dried paint,” De Giuli explains. “Drying the paint leads to organic structures which can be brought to life again with water, ink and sour flow release mediums. The results look different from my usual approach, way more realistic and less otherworldly… Although this is the final result for now, it feels more like I’m at the very beginning.”

Scroll down to take a look at the fantastic fluid landscapes of SATELLIKE. To see more of Roman De Giuli’s spectacular work, visit his website.