Emily Dean transports viewers to the surface of Jupiter’s moon, IO for her episode of the Emmy Award-winning Netflix series, Love, Death & Robots. The Very Pulse of the Machine follows astronaut Martha Kivelsen as she embarks on an unexpected pilgrimage. Realised in collaboration with Blur Studio and Polygon Pictures.

In a show of remarkable storytelling and exquisite visuals, Emily combines the Hugo Award-winning science fiction short story by Michael Swanwick, the aesthetic influences of Jean Giraud Moebius, one of the founding artists of Heavy Metal Magazine and the ligne claire comic book style. The colour script draws inspiration from the duality of sulfur, where its solid state radiates a vibrant yellow hue, while its molten form emits an iridescent blue glow. These visuals serve as a powerful metaphor, reflecting the shifting perspectives explored within the film, including themes of femininity, survival, and evolving viewpoints.