An Ontario artist is being recognized for recreating sentimental digital snapshots of Toronto and beyond that feel like distant memories of a lost video game.<\/p>\n
Eric Godlow is a 28-year-old musician who, over the past year, has been designing short retro-styled digital animations of Toronto<\/a> and other parts of Ontario that ooze nostalgia and feel like a warm hug on a cold day.\u00a0<\/p>\n He tells blogTO he spends nearly 30 hours (not all in one sitting, mind you) designing each 15-second animation from his home in Burlington, Ont.\u00a0<\/p>\n Godlow’s videos of Zellers, the TTC, and even a quiet alleyway with a GO Train zipping by in the background all render this dreamy retro aesthetic that’s catching people’s attention online.<\/p>\n “Stores are easy to model, and people have fond memories of the ones that have gone out of business,” he says. Creating something to commemorate the electronics chain Future Shop, which shut down in 2015, is currently on his to-do list.<\/p>\n Godlow says he uses the free 3D creation software Blender to bring his animations to life. The software can be used for a range of applications, like design mock-ups, video games, and is\u00a0the same program that artist Gints Zilbalodis used to make his Oscar-winning animated film Flow.<\/p>\n “It made me really happy to see people taking this [software] seriously because a lot of industry pros are using programs that come with a huge price tag, and if you’re an emerging artist, you’re not going to be able to shell out that much money,” he says.<\/p>\n After experiencing burnout from making music, Godlow started looking for another creative outlet, and eventually, the two passions intertwined. He also produces the ambient music<\/a> that accompanies his animations.<\/p>\n Godlow grew up in Winnipeg before moving to Toronto in 2023\u00a0and eventually venturing out to the suburbs.\u00a0He says he enjoys recreating Ontario scenes because the architecture and infrastructure feel vastly different from what he grew up with in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n “I\u00a0didn’t grow up with a subway, so seeing the TTC and the city was a big change for me,” he says. “And here,\u00a0there are a lot more older homes and buildings that look like a snapshot of the past.”<\/p>\n One of his recent designs of an Ontario variety store down the street from where he lives has already gotten positive feedback from viewers.<\/p>\n On his Instagram page, people are leaving comments like, “This is the most calming thing I’ve seen on the internet in a long time.” Godlow says he was pleasantly surprised to hear how “blown away” the store owner was when a local resident showed them his video.\u00a0<\/p>\n And it’s not just locals who appreciate\u00a0his work.<\/p>\n “I’ve had people from Saskatchewan and across Canada reach out to me online,”\u00a0he says, adding that people \u2014 and even businesses \u2014 are already requesting commissions.<\/p>\n Along with music, Godlow also features his cat, Theo, in some of his animations. And, at a time when AI-generated content is flooding the internet, Godlow says he’s proud to champion human-made art.<\/p>\n