Peter Tomaszewicz’s CGI animation riffs on Brutalist architecture and chemistry

“Many Brutalist buildings have the sense of something dark, sometimes negative in meaning,” says London-based motion graphics designer Peter Tomaszewicz as he chats to It’s Nice That about his new animation States of Matter. “I wanted to distort Brutalism in such way that it would provide a feel of a dystopian, imaginary scenery but to add in more humour and playfulness.”

Inspired by Italian architect Carlo Scarpa, the Sedesowce buildings in Wrocław in Poland and even the capsule hotel in Tokyo, States of Matter is an experiment in building Escher-like geometric environments then making them squelch, wrinkle, bend, shrivel and wobble. “The project first started by exploring the different techniques of various simulations,” explains Peter. “I wanted to create a story, a sequence that shows the melting process of solids and the liquid form of buildings.”

Solid structures become water-like, they in turn morph into puffs of smoke, all the while retaining a sense that you’re watching stone evaporate rather than a digitally made animation. “I had to learn some new technical parts but the longest aspect of the project was researching the environment creation and getting the whole look to unite as I wanted to avoid just copying the buildings,” adds Peter.