Digital artist Carl Burton works in a somewhat unconventional medium: gifs. His work can be political, surreal, mundane – but no matter what, they are always monochromatic, perfectly looped works of art.

“Carl Burton’s beautiful sci-fi GIFs are from another world,” writes The Verge.

In addition to personal work, Burton has contributed illustrations for various other projects, including the second season of the podcast Serial.

Whitney Dangerfield, who worked with Burton to produce the artwork for the podcast, writes “his illustrations [evoke] mystery and ambiguity…”

According to Colossal, Burton uses Cinema 4D, Photoshop, and After Effects to produce his animated pieces of art.

Dangerfield explains that Burton casts his gifs in a variety of different colors before deciding on the final product. Sometimes he recolors and reposts them later.

Burton’s work has an incredible ability to transport the viewer into a different time and space, sometimes real and sometimes fictional. To me, his gifs feel peaceful and serene, even while they are slightly unsettling.

All images by Carl Burton.