I have arranged together fragments of my memories so that they can be deconstructed and felt, as a shared experience, by the viewer. I have avoided didactic depictions of the subject matter to rely on pure observation of the visual elements while daring the viewer to engage with the pain and psychological distress these memories carry. 

Sunken is a short animation about the emotional state in which a person suffering from eating disorders finds itself into. My project aims to change the conversation around eating disorders, focusing on the feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, and depression as elements that motivate compulsive behaviors.

To produce this animation, I made use of different techniques that range from traditional to digital animation. frame by frame rotoscoping is contrasted with digital puppetry to create an eager environment that translates the feelings of inadequacy. Digital animation is placed side by side with stop-motion to produce a more contemplative scene in which the erratic movements connect with mental anxiety. 

The general understanding of eating disorders simplifies them as vain responses to the beauty driven media, yet ignores personal relationships, the need for human interaction, and depression as their contributors. Stereotyping and oversimplifying eating disorders as a by-product of vanity, while ignoring other implications in the origin and development of the illness, leads the public to trivialize these disorders. Thus, many believe that those afflictions are self-inflicted and that the sufferer is not only in control, but also to be blamed for his or her illness. The stigma that accompanies eating disorders only increases the isolation these individuals already find themselves in and furthers their decision of not seeking professional help to overcome their illness.