Microorganisms to Mountains: Flora Macleod’s Multidisciplinary Art
Flora Macleod is a creative force whose work spans video, 3D, and immersive screen-based experiences. Her art is both visually captivating and conceptually profound, drawing inspiration from the natural world.
Led by boundless curiosity and a passion for exploration, Flora has honed her craft through diverse roles, collaborations, and a self-driven commitment to growth. Her journey has taken her through studios like Optical Arts, Labmeta, and 59 Productions, and to stages like FulldomeUK, where her innovative designs come to life.
Flora’s creative process is defined by deep research and thoughtful reinterpretation of natural forms and systems. Drawing inspiration from the intricate beauty of microorganisms to the grandeur of mountain ranges, she translates these organic elements into digital realms. Her mission? To evoke wonder and emotion through her storytelling.
The sensory and the emotional realm blend when one looks at Flora’s work – whether directing 3D animations, designing projection-mapped installations, or creating music videos, she skilfully merges art and technology to push the boundaries of creative expression and the ways in which we perceive them. Projects, like the dome piece inspired by plankton or Optical Arts’ short film ‘Diatoms’, exemplifies this interdisciplinary approach.
On LBB, we talk about change a lot – and it is versatile and adaptable creatives like Flora that will not only survive, but thrive in the newly emerged pockets of the industry. Embracing challenges and constantly expanding her skillset, she embodies the spirit of the multidisciplinary creative. Today, LBB’s Zoe Antonov sat down with her to find out more about how she does it all so seamlessly.
LBB> Your career spans video, 3D, and immersive screen-based experiences. Can you tell us how you first got started and what led you to Optical Arts?
Flora> I’ve always been really interested in lots of areas of the creative industries. I love learning, going to events and exhibitions, finding out more about the people behind the work, and I’ve assisted other artists and designers I’ve wanted to learn from.
But I started to really connect my skills and interests doing an alternative education course called Make Your Own Masters. It helped me realise how much the natural world appears in my work, and motivated me to build on my 3D skills to bring my ideas to life. I came to Optical Arts to hone these skills and work with their super talented team. I love the aesthetic here, and the elements of both 3D animation and photographic work that spans non-commercial projects too. It felt like a really good fit.
Above: Experimental Plankton by Flora
LBB> You’ve mentioned that visual and contextual research is key to your practice. Can you walk us through your creative process, from concept development to final execution?
Flora> On projects that aren’t purely aesthetic, I love drawing from a concept, narrative or piece of research. I enjoy idea development while looking at the bigger picture, and I personally think that the more information you have, the more informed choices you can make. So I’ll usually do a deep dive into my subject: books, visual references, visiting relevant or inspiring places in person, all the while looking for links and connections that build into a bigger idea.
I’ll sometimes sketch to explore at first, before mapping out the key ideas and kicking off visual development. Then I’ll just keep iterating and iterating until it starts to come together.
LBB> You draw inspiration from the natural world and enjoy reinterpreting existing structures or concepts. Are there any specific moments, artists, or elements of nature that have deeply influenced your work?
Flora> I love all nature, whether that’s noticing the intricate detail of a microorganism or being in awe of the sheer scale of mountains. I want my nature-inspired work to help other people feel the same sense of wonder I do when experiencing it. It can be interesting to take inspiration from something like biostructures or systems found in nature to drive design in digital mediums. I used this approach when concepting ideas for a light installation and found it a fun way to think of unusual ways to use this medium.
I enjoy seeing how artists outside of my practice approach themes in nature, for example fashion designer Iris Van Herpen. I’ve always liked the work of Marshmallow Laser Feast, too, with their research and science-based digital work. The body of work that musician Max Cooper and his visual collaborators have, which often has a scientific streak and feeds into a live show, is impressive as well.
LBB> You’ve worked with a wide range of studios and organizations. How do you adapt to different team dynamics and creative environments? Any particularly memorable collaborations?
Flora> I’ve been lucky to work on some amazing projects, including the latest Channel 4 Idents, and short film ‘Diatoms’ I made with Optical Arts, alongside clients such as Bowers & Wilkins, and ‘Apollo 50: Go For The Moon’ – a projection mapping show by 59 Productions that highlighted how interesting deep research can be. I love working with music or sound designers and made a music video for Indian Wells ‘New Ruins’ with footage of mountains I’d filmed myself. Last year, I collaborated with two others to create an immersive dome piece inspired by plankton that was selected for FulldomeUK 2023.
Adapting to this variety of environments and collaborations has involved learning the tools and skills on the job and being adaptable to what I’m working on. Also taking a moment to see the project through the eyes of the people I’m working with.
Above: Channel 4 idents
LBB> What draws you to experiential work? Why did a project like the dome experience appeal to you?
Flora> I’ve been fascinated by all the ways you can experience art for a long time, from multisensory environments, to spatial sound, to immersive storytelling. I’m super interested in how people not just see things, but feel things, and how we can emotionally engage the viewer; this is partly why I find sound so important. I’ve been lucky to attend a lot of great performances, gigs and festivals and this is partly where I found inspiration – from the production design to the colour palettes. I’ve always enjoyed learning about the technology and production behind these shows, and now my 3D skills fit well as I can execute for spaces too.
LBB> What challenges do you feel exist for multidisciplinary creatives like yourself in today’s production industry, and how do you navigate them?
Flora> There’s always keeping up to date with software skills and trends. If you’re a generalist this can be a little tricky, but it does mean there’s always something interesting to learn. Doing lots of things means it might take longer to hone specialised skills, but I’ve also found having a wider breadth of experience helps you understand technical pipelines and the work of your collaborators better; and it’s been an interesting journey.
Above: Optical Arts 'Diatoms' by Flora
LBB> Looking ahead, what kind of projects or opportunities do you hope to explore further in your career? Are there any untapped mediums or narratives you’re eager to experiment with?
Flora> I’d like to continue with specialist practices in 3D, alongside direction and projects where there’s scope for deeper research and time to make beautiful aesthetics. I’m really interested in making work to be experienced in large immersive spaces with a public audience, and it would be great to work with a musician on a show, or more pieces involving storytelling. It would also be fascinating to collaborate with someone from a totally different discipline, like a scientist or production designer, for instance, and see what happens.
LBB> What advice would you give to young creatives who want to follow a similarly multidisciplinary path? How can they carve out their own space in this competitive field?
Flora> Stay interested and curious, and be flexible in how you collaborate. With the industry being so competitive, I’d recommend making personal work to help yourself learn and show your interests. It’s not always easy when you’re in full time work, but even finishing one challenging piece a year in small steps can make a big difference, and being open to further iterations of this piece will be a great benefit. Personal work has directly helped me to get jobs!
