Animation is the most varied art form imaginable, regardless of technique and execution. In most cases, animation is a combination of different art forms that together create the illusion of something new. A whole of images, sound, light, music, acting - all can be contained within animation.
Handmade animation also has an additional dimension as the materials and the presence of the animator play a role in the outcome.
In my reserch I want to investigate the importance of materials in handmade animation and develop ways of working with the materials and objects that come into being during the animation process. I believe that this way of working can create conditions for a more multifaceted narrative that also open up a more accessible way of engaging with animation.
The animation we know today began with the Lumière brothers' development of the camera in the late 19th century. Animation became a means of expressing social and political issues in the avant-garde art environment of the early 20th century, which were strongly influenced by the surrealist, expressionist and abstract art movements of the time. The works were often experimental and exploratory.
In the same way, I found animation myself. The new technology of the 90s made it possible to create animation without exclusive equipment and it became a natural extension of the art and craft schools I had attended. With animation, I was able to take my skills and materials and create something completely new for me.
In my experience, having worked for many years with both digital and handmade techniques, handmade animation often has a strong expression that can be traced back to the fact that it is made of material and by a human being. This creates a certain tension and sensitivity. There's also something about the unpredictability of the handmade that appeals to me. That it never quite turns out as you planned, like everything has a life that you can't really control. The result depends on a variety of aspects; choice of materials, the natural light, mood and chance to name a few .
Digital animation has an inherent automation that leaves its mark on the work and perhaps that's why this type of animation is more often story-driven. The images do not contain as much information and sensitivity as handmade techniques that carry the visual narrative in every detail. The materials, the light and the presence of the hand affect the drawn lines, the texture of the brush, the shape of the clay and the grain of the paper.
The handcrafted images reflect the sensitivity and movement of the hand and the rhythms of the body.
The work is therapeutic and the execution provides as much as the pleasure of completion.
A kind of healing power in the materials and the communication between the hand and the brain. The process creates a kind of strong relationship with both materials and objects.
The artist and animator Lina Persson writes about this in her research project "Animated ecology" and believes that "the animation machinery gathers its experience and thinking from a large amount of techniques and materials”. Just like my own experience, she writes about the relationship to the physical.
"The physical interaction with objects and materials is tangible, sometimes to the extent that it creates an identification with it"
It is a common belief that the properties of different materials have a strong impact on us. This question occupies a great deal of space in discussions in architecture, education and art and is highly relevant to animation as well. In the study "Materials and Meaning in Architecture: Essays on the Bodily Experience of Buildings” by Nathaniel Coleman, the author argues for the importance of materials. He believes that architecture is primarily experienced with the whole body, rather than primarily with the eyes and how the most engaging built works are as tactile as they are sensual, communicating directly with the bodily senses, especially touch. He thinks that architectural practice seems to be preoccupied with image and visual representation. The same can be said for animation where the focus is usually on what is shown on the screen and the physical material is often forgotten.
Much of digital animation is about trying to recreate the natural feel of materials and create a sense of the handmade. Through advanced texturing, "wiggle effect" and manipulated keyframes, one can get close to the feeling of body and space but never capture the tactile sensation of the handmade. This type of animation also has a little value off-screen.
Different materials communicate different things, which is, among other things, culturally conditioned. Different circumstances and needs have influenced the emergence of cultures around the world, which is reflected in the use of different materials in architecture, crafts and design, for example. Clay, wood, leather, pearls, wool - materials often have a deep-rooted meaning and evoke different associations depending on who you are and where you come from.
The resistance of the different materials is both an asset and a problem in animation. The direction of fibers in wood, the inflexibility of metal or the weight of clay present both challenges and opportunities. Finding a balance between curbing and following the materials is often part of the handmade animation process. Both the materials and the techniques influence the result and can provide the audience with a deep complexity of phenomenological significance.
When working with stop motion, a large number of objects are created for the animation itself. Puppets, characters, images, set designs, backgrounds and props Things that have little value once the animation is complete. But these ungainly materials, the leftovers, have a great intrinsic value that rarely come into use and often end up in the garbage or in a storage room.
Instead, I want to explore how this can be used to create a kind of extended animation where set design, puppets, props and materials are also part of the end result.
The puppets and sets often take on a personality of their own with their worn out and tired
expressions. By being animated, they are given a certain patina that creates a kind of human radiance.
The often long work creates a bond with the puppets and outside the animation they often communicate something else. It is this relationship that inspires me. What happens next? What else is there to tell? It's the unspoken that I want to look deeper into. What can these artifacts say and can they contribute to a wider multi-layered narrative?
Puppets and props in animation are sometimes used in different ways, and to concretise my ideas I have chosen to compare how two contemporary artists and animators work with animation and exhibition.
Niki Lindroth von Bahr's exhibition "Something to remember" at Färgfabriken in Stockholm in 2019, included both her stop motion films and installations with puppets and parts of scenography from the films. The humanized animals in her contemporary fables were positioned in the everyday settings that often form the foundation of her films. A dressing room, a supermarket or a fast food restaurant. In this case, the screening of the films plays the main role and the installations act as a kind of physical behind the scenes, giving the audience an insight into the animator's craft. The films are independent and so are the installations.
Nathalie Djurberg works in a different way. In her and Hans Berg's exhibition “A journey through swamp and confusion with little glimpses of air” at the Modern Museum in 2018, one was invited into a world of animation, music and objects. Large birds and plants and a variety of artifacts filled the rooms alongside screens of frenetic stop motion animation. Nathalie Djurberg also works on a kind of contemporary fables that deal with broken people, vulnerability and our dirtiest lusts and desires.
In this case, it's harder to imagine the artifacts exhibited alone. Even the films are enhanced by the surrounding world but have a more independent bearing. The whole exhibition can be seen as one large piece, a world of its own.
In my own work, I want to let the materials and objects guide the process. An intuitive work where all parts have their own space to tell their story and give their perspective. All parts should have a given place and contribute to the whole as they need each other.
What does the set contain that the animation hasn't already told? What more can the animation say if we know what's behind the door? What does it mean if the puppet is no longer in the set where the animation took place?
I believe that mixing materials, puppets and props can create imaginative works with many interpretative possibilities, challenging all our senses.
The Leftovers
I can see parallels between our own lives and the animation process. Just like building a puppet, we construct our lives and personalities. In animation, everything flows seamlessly and just like in life, the struggles behind the facade we present is not visible. If we dare to show our whole selves and share our lives, I think we can create a greater understanding of each other. In the same way, through this extended animation, I want to tell the story from multiple perspectives to create a more complex picture of people and situations in life.
In the work I am currently developing, I will focus on old age. By starting from my memories of my job at “home care” and the human struggle against futility. I was 17 years old when I started working with old people but these experiences had a strong impact on me and my memories have stayed with me ever since.
The parallel between life and animation is palpable, the desire to maintain a façade to the end and the unwillingness to share what lies beneath the surface. When we get old remains our tired bodies that serve no greater function than a used puppet from an animation. The big life projects are over and so is the professional life. The children have grown up and in society you are perceived more as a burden than an asset.
We become the leftovers.
The project will consist of several works with different content.
The animations will be loops to portray the routines and monotony of everyday life. But also because that is often what gives meaning. To drink the morning coffee in the little cup with flowers, to do the hair every Saturday, to rest in the armchair at 2 pm every day. Caring for an old person is often a balance between satisfying a strong will and meeting the not always welcome needs that come with aging.
In some parts my hands will be included in the animation as an illustration of the work with the elderly. A help you neither want nor can do without. The difference in size between hand and puppet says something about the power hierarchy that exists between carer and patient. I will also animate the clock, one frame for each movement of the puppet. A symbol of both the eternal passing of time, the waiting, but also to illustrate the time it takes to animate, to take care.
The puppets will mainly be built with existing materials or from things I find. This is mainly because these materials already carry a story which is interesting in itself, but also because I want to work towards a more sustainable animation process.
The sound design will also be based on the materials used. Materials have different sounds that also create associations and new interpretations.
The result will be a number of animated scenes that can be shown on screen or projected directly onto the set. The scenographies will be fully or partially incorporated into the display where other artifacts or images may also be included. The puppet will be shown in its entirety or appear in a different form.
In addition to screens and projections, other ways of showing the animation may be relevant, such as pepper ghosts where the animation is projected on a transparent screen.
We live in a highly digitized world where we largely take part in each other and our surroundings through screens. For animation, this is often the only option. With this project I want to move animation out of the confines of the screen and open up a more accessible way to experience animation. A combination of backgrounds, set design, props, puppets that all have something to say. Where all the elements interact with each other to engage multiple senses.
By starting from the materials, I want to explore a kind of amplified animation that opens up to a more multifaceted narrative.
A kind of holistic way of working that challenges the conventional ways of seeing and experiencing animation. An animation that takes into account both the artistic expression and the craftsmanship to create a deeper understanding of all the parameters that communicate through handmade animation.