The Texture of Time: Yeoleum Choi’s Layers In History
History is rarely a single, clean narrative; it is a dense, shifting accumulation of artifacts and memories. In Layers In History, Yeoleum Choi, a second-year MFA student in the Department of Design’s Digital Animation and Interactive Media (DAIM) track, uses motion design to set the past into vivid motion. Rather than a static or somber retrospective, the work possesses a distinct lightness, inviting the viewer into a flowing fluctuation of time.
The project’s conceptual depth and technical execution have earned significant recognition, including being named an Awarded Artist for the 34th Annual Edith Fergus Gilmore Scholarship Exhibition and receiving a “Best of Behance” curation, an honor that places Choi's work among a selective global group recognized for innovation.
A Field Trip Through Deep Time
At the heart of Layers In History is a sense of playful vitality. The narrative follows a colony of harvester ants on a special "field trip" to a fossil exhibition hidden deep within their own tunnels. This framing serves as a bridge between the present and the prehistoric, as the ants navigate a journey through the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Eras.
By following these tiny guides into the earth, the viewer is taken on a ride through stratified historical records and fossilized remains. Choi’s use of color and motion transforms these silent deposits into a site of discovery, using the rhythmic flow of the ants to traverse the layers that serve as the geological memory resurfaced from the depths of the earth.
© 2026 Yeoleum Choi, Layers In History.
Animating the Abstract
Choi’s work functions as a research inquiry that challenges the often-dry delivery of traditional educational media. By replacing clinical diagrams with an emotionally driven, hand-crafted aesthetic, she tests how visual charm can lower the cognitive barrier to complex scientific data. The project effectively spatializes time; it takes the daunting, abstract scale of Earth’s history and compresses it into an inviting subterranean descent where the environment functions as a silent educator.
This workflow has generated notable international interest; a recent seminar Choi conducted for a design academy in South Korea sold out in seconds, attracting an audience of 3D motion graphics artists and character animators eager to study her specific creative approach.
Technical Synthesis: Beyond the Digital Brush
The project’s organic feel is the result of a deliberate technical synthesis. Choi utilized generative AI as a conceptual compass during pre-production to define the tactile qualities of earth and clay. This allowed her to translate the grit of real-world materials into a digital 3D space with high precision.
As the animation progresses, she moves between traditional and emergent techniques, deploying AI for atmospheric environmental effects like sandstorms, while manually compositing final matte paintings to maintain absolute control over the geological aesthetic. This layered methodology ensures that while the tools are cutting-edge, the final visual remains rooted in her specific artistic intent.
Inquiries and Further Viewing
Following its recognition at the Edith Fergus Gilmore Scholarship Exhibition, Layers In History is currently being submitted to international film and animation festivals.
For festival inquiries, screening requests, or to view the full project documentation, including 3D motion graphics and character animation workflows, please visit Yeoleum Choi’s professional portfolio:
- Portfolio & Project Details: Behance: Layers In History