Directed by TJ Norris, Elemental Studies (2022–2025) is a visceral 4-channel film installation and cinematic cycle that explores the fractured dialogue between human industry and the ancient pillars of Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. Comprising twelve monochromatic short films, the project strips away color to reveal the raw, alchemical texture of an environment destabilized by climate upheaval, functioning as a meditative witness to Mother Nature’s primal system of checks and balances. This immersive experience, which has garnered international acclaim with screenings in prestigious galleries and festivals worldwide, was recently recognized as the Best Arthouse Film at the Absurd Film Festival (Milan) in October 2025 and celebrated its Irish Premiere at Gallery X in Dublin.
The project’s \"soul\" is rooted in a massive, borderless collaboration featuring twenty-five composers and sound artists from eighteen different countries. This global collective crafted a definitive sonic architecture for the series, beginning with twelve distinct scores that translate the \"broken overlap\" of the elements into immersive soundscapes, further enriched by a series of re-imagined interpretations. Developed over several years as a rhythmic pulse for an ailing planet, this audio-visual \"exquisite corpse\" serves as a global requiem for our fragile ecosystem. To complement the visual journey, the complete soundtrack is available as a deluxe 2xCD set through Carpe Sonum Novum Records (USA), inviting the world to pause and acknowledge the inherent capacity for change residing between humankind and nature’s wrath..