New York Biotopes by Lena Steinkühler

As sung in “Empire State of Mind,” New York City is often referred to as a concrete jungle. The city’s inherent duality of urbanism and naturalism becomes the center of Lena Steinkühler’s animation and motion graphics short, titled New York Biotopes. She transforms the metropolis into a thriving biome, blending real footage of the city with creatures from her imagination. Iridescent jellyfish flood Grand Central, traffic lights bloom into flowers, and the yellow and orange seats of the subway stack to form stalks of flora. The blend of constructed figures with organic forms invites new ways to interpret the city holistically as natural system supporting life.