KINGDOM OF DUST: The Making of a Lost World

Something monumental is beginning to rise inside the Art Encompassed studio.

KINGDOM OF DUST will be my largest and most ambitious cinematic narrative installation to date… an immense, handcrafted world of towering caverns, a lost pirate ship, cascading water, buried treasure and the remains of those who sought fortune at any cost.

At the heart of the work is a story of greed, consequence and eternal separation. Above, a ship appears to move toward freedom beneath an open sky. Far below, a forgotten pirate remains surrounded by the treasure he could never take with him. The two worlds exist together within one towering installation, suspended somewhere between salvation and ruin.

What you see in these early images is only the skeleton. Raw lumber establishes the structure while an antique frame becomes part of the architecture itself. Layers of carved foam, sculpted stone, water effects, lighting, miniature details and hidden environments will gradually transform it into a fully immersive world.

Every cavern wall, rock formation and atmospheric detail is being created by hand. The finished installation will incorporate forced perspective, illuminated skies, waterfalls, reflective water, warm lantern light and countless hidden details intended to reveal themselves slowly as the viewer explores the scene.

I have also been considering firing up my TikTok again after a very long pause and documenting the transformation from the earliest construction through to the final reveal.

Would you like to follow the making of KINGDOM OF DUST… or should its secrets remain buried until the lost world is finally unveiled?