Phosphenes

Phosphenes is a short motion collage animation exploring the fleeting visual patterns that appear when the eyes are closed. Inspired by the phenomenon of phosphenes, the work reflects on how light shapes the way we perceive moments and memories, even in darkness.

Created entirely in Adobe After Effects, the animation uses sourced footage and PNG elements that were carefully layered and animated to evoke drifting stars, spirals, and shifting forms. These abstract visuals mirror the sensation of light existing behind closed eyes, blurring the line between physical perception and internal memory.

Alongside the animation, I wrote a short reflective text that follows the motion collage, expanding on the idea that light gives form to how we remember and make meaning of experience. The piece considers how memory is often fragmented and ephemeral, shaped by brief flashes rather than complete narratives.

Through abstraction, texture, and motion, Phosphenes becomes a meditation on perception, memory, and the quiet visual language that exists between light and darkness.