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An illustration of two nude figures in a white tiled shower room. A person stands still while another crouches under a shower head, both casting large, distorted shadows against the wall.

Illustration: Benjamin Phillips's fantastic interpretation of evolution seen from a birds eye view

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Date
17 September 2013

So evolution is a fascinating thing, linking us to monkeys and fish, making our ears get smaller, our bodies taller and somehow causing us to have nearly identical DNA to bananas. For illustrator Benjamin Phillips however it has allowed him to think about the uniqueness of humans; how though we might all see through eyes, smell through small holes in our face and hear through two holes in our heads, our experiences amount to different memories, stories and people as a whole. Through our individual experiences we evolve into different people.

So when he was approached by SSE Project to respond to the brief Bird’s Eye Evolution Benjamin tried to show this. And his illustrations are fantastic, simply drawn bodies with disproportionate limbs that show relationships evolving, moods changing, sharks transforming into birds, into humans who then morph backwards into dogs. His interpretation reveals evolution as a conglomeration of experience, they show the idea of evolution as it has been digested and understood by humans as they have evolved.

Just one of Benjamin’s vast collection of published work, we look on in awe at his spiky style with a particular soft spot for his hilarious pet portraits.

An illustration of a red-striped cat figure with a wide, toothy grin. A small, grey mouse stands inside the cat’s chest, held in place by the cat’s arms.
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Benjamin Phillips: Bird’s Eye Evolution

A charcoal drawing of two horses and two riders galloping side by side. One horse and rider are rendered in solid black, while the other are drawn in white with black outlines.
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Benjamin Phillips: Bird’s Eye Evolution

An illustration showing a vertical sequence of five red figures evolving downwards. The sequence begins with a humanoid figure and transitions into a crab, then a spider, ending with a small black dot. Text on the sides reads “Birds Eye Evolution” and “Benjamin Phillips”, with “SSE#34” at the bottom.
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Benjamin Phillips: Bird’s Eye Evolution

An illustration of seven heads with black bobbed hair stacked vertically. The expressions shift from a smile at the bottom to an angry scowl at the top.
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Benjamin Phillips: Bird’s Eye Evolution

A black and white illustration featuring three rows of figures. The top row shows a shark morphing into a fish, the middle row shows a line of people, and the bottom row shows people morphing into dogs. Text beneath the images reads “I’m swimming deep. Deep down. Soaring sky high now.”, “And these thoughts I’m thinking. Are fizzing like the drink I’m drinking.” and “Oh. Forever sinking. Back to my former self.”
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Benjamin Phillips: Bird’s Eye Evolution

An illustration of a large, green creature with spiral eyes and sharp teeth, surrounded by several nude figures. One person stands on the creature’s shoulder, while others gather around its base. Hand-drawn text at the top reads “BIRD’S EYE EVOLUTION”.
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Benjamin Phillips: Bird’s Eye Evolution

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About the Author

Emily Beber

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