The Gatekeeper is a mixed-media graduation project in which a physically build miniature world is combined with digitally added 2D animations and drawings. It tells a story about a dreamer longing for freedom, traveling, discovering and escaping, but is stuck in a community that has lost their lust for life.
Check out the story below. Or look at the miniature world at the Keep an Eye exhibition, or the process of how this was created.
The Gatekeeper
reading time: 15min
THE GATEKEEPER
Somewhere far at sea, near the edge of the world, lays an old and decommissioned oilrig on the border of the Arctic. When sea levels rose, endangering life on land, a group of brave young people found refuge in this unlikely home.
To sustain life on the oilrig, the young people of Konkurito build a barrier crossing in the sea. Their gate stood strong in the quickly changing weather of the Arctic, allowing passage for a small fee and the right paperwork. Generation upon generation the bravest and most athletic person was granted the rod of Konkurito to oversee the gate, allowing those seeking adventure, fortune or business a passage through.
But the young and brave become the old and wise.
And the honorable job as gatekeeper fell on the shoulders of the last young person of Konkurito, Mira.
Every day, early in the morning, Mira walks with the rod attached to her backpack through the streets of Konkurito on her way to complete the task entrusted to her. She’s greeted by the elders of Konkurito with encouraging love and great respect. Her hike across the small but dangerous bridge, which is standing upright against shipwrecking waves and devastating winds, shows just why only the young and athletic can be entrusted with the rod. Located at the end of the bridge is a small cabin, where she will spend the rest of her day fulfilling her job.
When finally, alone in her cabin and waiting for the next boat to pass, Mira usually sinks away in her chair dreaming...
What would life be like outside Konkurito?
What would people eat on the other side of the world?
TUUUU!!!
Mira awakens brutally from a loud horn, almost falling out of her chair. She quickly recovers herself and gets up to haste herself towards the window. A large ship is waiting right before the gate. Mira waves towards the deck in the hopes to see the gesture being answered as the thick mist makes it hard to see.
Through mist she sees movement, that must be the captain!
She quickly grabs the rod and throws it out, but the clip on the end of the rope doesn’t quite reach the captain on deck. In a dangerous attempt to reach the captain Mira leans all the way out of the window just barely holding on. She did it! The captain grabs the clip and attaches his paperwork. With a soft yank on the rope to signal Mira, she reels the papers in to investigate them.
Back inside her cabin she unfolds the wet papers to carefully read the document. With great haste but with surgical precision she grabs one of the stamps from her cupboard. After she stamps the papers, she seals them into a protective bag shielding it from rain that just started pouring. After double checking the paper on the proper stamps one last time, she once again hangs out of the window, throwing out the rod and the papers make their way back to the captain. Soaking wet from the rain the captain gives Mira a quick nod and passes through the gate.
Back inside Mira quickly closes the window in an attempt to warm back up again and hopefully dry up before the next boat arrives. As fast as the rain came the weather cleared up, she looks up and just on the horizon she sees another boat approaching. It’ll take a while before it reaches the gate. Mira turns on the heater and lets herself fall back in her chair.
Where was I…
Oh yeah, what would life be like on the other side of the world?
Made by Stella Rammeloo
Script Vincent Rugebregt
DOP Judith Boeschoten
coached by
Erik Goossens
Anne Winterink
Bruno
Seabert Deuling
With special thanks to
Vincent Rugebregt
Anouk Boef