There are certain buzz-worthy technological concepts that, having initially infiltrated animation discourse, continue to circulate just below the surface until a new development, event, or work of art re-energizes them AND brings them to the fore. The notion of digitally-enabled…
Experimental Animation
Contemplating Jordan Belson
by Aimee Mollaghan • February 26, 2015 • 1 Comment
Given that the Center for Visual Music’s Video on Demand Vimeo channel has recently started streaming a newly restored version of Jordan Belson’s 1972 film Chakra it seems like an opportune time to highlight the spiritual dimension of his work.…
Experimental Animation
Can (should) Animation reach beyond the “entertainment dependency?”
by Jean Detheux • February 19, 2015 • 5 Comments
Recent conversations on Facebook and elsewhere revolving around the second of my 2 visual renditions of Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 in C minor (see more about this below, including a link to the web version) made me realize once…
Experimental Animation
Abstract Animation
by Pamela Turner • February 11, 2015 • 5 Comments
Abstract animation is not included in many animations festivals or venues. [1] Yet, abstraction is not the exception in other arts, notably sculpture, painting, and most importantly, music. The language of abstraction is inherent in human nature and allows us…
Miscellaneous
Report: #BrickBowl – 36hr Animation Project
by Chris Pallant • February 3, 2015 • 0 Comments
So the Super Bowl happened again (I’m a Brit), and beyond the field-based drama, which lasted right to the end of the game this time round, with a spectacularly improbable catch setting up a dramatic final few seconds, the main…
Gender and Animation
New Year’s Resolutions for Inclusivity
by Amy Ratelle • January 26, 2015 • 0 Comments
For anyone interested in equity in gender representation in the film industry, Melissa Silverstein at Indiewire recently posted some depressing infographics regarding the number of both independent[i] and mainstream[ii] motion pictures directed by women. According to the graphics, only 10%…
Gender and Animation
Representing sexuality in animation, how limiting is technique?
by Adam de Beer • January 21, 2015 • 6 Comments
In spite of animation’s inherent plasticity and the implication that animation can “resist outmoded notions of… performance” and “carry with it alternative ideological imperatives” (Wells, 1998, p.227) prime time television animation tends to follow the stereotypical representations of most visual…
Gender and Animation
When it’s knitted it can be also unraveled Knitting or crochet is not so soft, warm and innocent anymore
by Eliska Decka • January 12, 2015 • 0 Comments
Knitting and crocheting have always been activities strongly connected to women, understood as a part of their housekeeping duties and everyday chores. But recently, this traditional craft has started to be viewed differently. More and more contemporary (mostly female) artists…
Gender and Animation
Is the straight role in comedy essential and why is it usually played by a woman in animation?
by Sarah Ann Kennedy • December 19, 2014 • 1 Comment
Traditionally, the straight ‘man’ in stand up comedy or sitcom gives the eccentric character a presence to play against. It has long been accepted as an essential part of the process. As Mel Brooks has noted, “Well the straight guy…
Gender and Animation
Pixar’s Progressive Princess?
by Helen Haswell • December 9, 2014 • 2 Comments
Since the release of Toy Story (Lasseter, 1995) Pixar Animation Studios has become renowned for creating films that are both commercially successful and critically acclaimed. Collectively, Toy Story and its sequels have grossed over 1.9 billion dollars worldwide, and are…