Patrick Keen
Urban Environmentalism:
Restoring the connection between modern life and environmentalism
Television
Restoring Nature to The Chicago River
Evan Fintzy, 360º Cinematographer, operating the camera from boat.
Kayla Zelenz, Host, poses for portrait on Kayak.
Concept art- collage designed as panoramic menu system for entering the films many stories.
(Left to right) Kayla Zelenz, Patrick Thomas Keen, Phil Nicodemus pose for a selfie from kayaks on the Chicago River during shoot wrap.
Concept Art - Chicago History and River collage. (equirectangular)
Behind the scenes headset capture
Project Statement
Urbanism and environmentalism aren't mutually exclusive. Environmental activist organization, Urban Rivers, works to restore wildlife along the city's river by building floating gardens to act as artificial riverfront. Restoring Nature to the Chicago River is the first of several stories in a virtual reality documentary series on the intersection of wildlife and urban life.
The fully-realized virtual reality film intended to showcase several vignettes where wildlife and the built environment interact, combat, or benefit from each other. Stories spanned from water to earth to air, notably working with Chicago Honey Co-op to investigate the unique resiliency of urban bee populations.
With the Weisman Award and grant, production continued during the early months of 2020 and included working prototypes for Google Cardboard/iOS distribution. Full-scale production, editing, and development phases were slated for Summer 2020. However, the project became postponed indefinitely in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Artist Biography
Patrick Thomas Keen (Class of 2021) is an interdisciplinary media-maker telling non-fiction social and environmental stories. Utilizing interactive filmmaking, 360º video, and virtual reality, Patrick connects audiences more viscerally to his work. His interactive film, Tossed: Waste and Recycling Quiz, was awarded an "Honorable Mention" at the 9th annual One Earth Film Festival. In 2020, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Chicago/Midwest Chapter selected Patrick to their Scholar's program and awarded him the Sharon A. Palermo Memorial Scholarship.
Patrick works professionally to strategize and produce media campaigns for nonprofits, NGOs, and social businesses.
The name Patrick Thomas Keen arrives from his grandfathers, Patrick and Thomas. He currently resides in Milwaukee, WI, and joined the podcast "The Water Chronicles" in 2021 as Producer and Audio Mixer.