Swell is the final animation in a series inspired by Hudson River painter Thomas Cole’s Course of Empire cycle. Consummation of Empire, the central painting in the series, provides the point of departure for the animation which depicts a city growing and expanding to unprecedented heights as industrialization gives way to a digital future.

At the heart of Swell is the labor that lays the foundation of the expanding empire. While Swell draws parallels between artist and laborer, it reminds us that the artist is never outside of this cycle of expansion, and in fact, plays a key role in it.