Elements, an experimental art film by Maxim Zhestkov, follows more than two billion black and white spheres through a series of experiments within several enclosed spaces. Throughout the film the particles swarm through different white rooms, each labeled with subtle wall text that broadly defines the physics of each animation such as flow, diffusion, and pressure. Set to a score of hauntingly hollow tones, Elements is intended to express laws of nature and mathematics, visually representing the composition of particles found in each of us.

“The film is a trial to explore the idea that everything around us and inside us is made from simple elements or blocks which can be arranged in complex relationships and become compound structures,” says Zhestkov. “We could project this idea into emotions, behaviors, thought processes, relationships, life, planets and the universe.”

Zhestkov is a visual artist and motion designer based in Russia working in animation, design, and cinematography. You can see more of his short film projects and illustrations on his Vimeo and Behance.