The Fluid is part of a series of animations based on Course of Empire, by Hudson River painter Thomas Cole. The project begins with the increasing anxiety we feel in our relationship to water. The heart of the project is a three-channel animation that when projected is an immersive experience. Like the three earlier animations in the series, The Fluid continues to explore the way we view the landscape through a culturally constructed frame. With its stylized depictions of landscape, the piece weaves together references not only to Hudson River painting but to Japanese Edo painting from the same historical moment as well as to 20th century abstraction.