Heather Whelton

Hi! I’m Heather and I am an animator from Berkshire. I am heavily inspired by the natural world and often incorporate it into my work as I often go for walks with my dog around the woods in my area. I find that nature is particularly inspiring and interesting as there are always new things to discover. I have more recently become interested in mushrooms, fungi, and the mycelial network so I chose to make a film about their role in the woodlands and how the large network allows the trees and smaller shrubbery to communicate.

My film Mycelium is a short experimental mixed-media animation which involves a range of techniques including embroidery animation. I thoroughly enjoyed the experimentation of using different mediums within my work and how they can show interesting textures that can’t be made digitally. I found the process of making this film quite laborious however, the outcome made it all worth it. The process was never straightforward and often involved re-working a shot or sometimes redoing most of the film, but it was interesting to see all the different versions of what could have been and compare it to the final outcome.

Contains flashing images.