Life, Death, & Rebirth In 75 Seconds — Watch This Woman’s Face

Emma Allen's mesmerizing video, "Ruby," is an artistic rendering of life and death. It could be depressing, but instead it's just plain fascinating. That's partially because it adds a touch of levity to mortality; the video features bold pops of color and flowers, yet it doesn't depict an existence that ends at rigor mortis. Instead Allen's subject, "Ruby" (actually portrayed by the artist herself), ages through adulthood into senescence, dies, decomposes, and is reborn — all in 75 seconds. Thus, Allen suggests our lifeline isn't linear at all, but indeed a cycle. The video doesn't directly scream reincarnation, but certainly suggests that we live on through other forms of life (here, that includes grass, a leopard, and a fetus) after death. On an abstract biological level, that is accurate, and certainly much more uplifting than the sobering cradle-to-grave scenario we were anticipating. Even more impressive is that Allen managed to pull the whole thing off, from concept to final product, in only five days. Watch her circle of life unfurl above. (This Is Colossal)