British animator and illustrator Michael William Lester recently added some character to a few of the world’s most iconic buildings, including Saigon’s own Bitexco Tower, by way of a series of animated GIFs.
In his work, “Character Building”, the artist brings to life 20 structures by animating the personalities of each iconic skyscraper or landmark.
“Good architecture interacts with its surroundings,” writes Lester on his Behance page. “It gives off energy, sparks interaction and pulls so much life in that the building itself lives and breathes.”
For Saigonese, Lester's interpretation of the Bitexco's personality taps into an inside joke of sorts, as the artist shows our city's most iconic skyscraper swatting away helicopters like flies. It’s unlikely that this was a nod to the running anecdote that the iconic tower’s helipad is barely – if ever – used, instead writing the caption: “The Bitexco Financial Tower longs for a colder climate.” Inadvertent or not, it’s spot-on.
Below are some of our favorites from the set. Head over to Lester’s Behance page for the rest.
Bitexco Tower, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Highcliff, Hong Kong.
Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Eureka Tower, Melbourne, Australia.
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.
Hallgrimskirkja, Reykjavik, Iceland.
One Central Park, Sydney, Australia.
Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang, North Korea.
Coltejer Building, Medellin, Colombia.
Tomorrow Square, Shanghai, China.
[GIFs via Behance]
