The GIF that Keeps On Moving
Now that GIF is officially a word, having been inducted into the Oxford American Dictionary this year (beating out Yolo, whatever that is), it seems everyone is rediscovering the nearly lost art form. Born in the 80s, the rudimentary animation usually consists of only a few frames that loop endlessly and hypnotically. Who knows what accounts for the sudden revival (perhaps the advent of memes?), but there’s no question the particular genre of net art is having a moment.
Digital artist Geoffrey Lillemon is taking full advantage of the moment, creating an action-packed page for Bernhard Willhelm’s women’s spring 13 collection plastered with all kinds of seemingly electric, moving GIFs. Meanwhile, on the homepage there’s a robotic head that twists and spouts curious statements that seem to come from Willhelm himself: “I decided I will not die, so it is inevitable that I will realize my dream, which is to be an ex-asshole and to be a rich, contented bum.” Apparently the technology used for that bit of animation is called Faceshift—surely the word on everyone’s lips as it enters the dictionary next year.