| I use stop-motion animation to focus on
the details of characters’ interactions. Through awkward movements and introspective
gestures, the characters speak to our anxieties, frustrations and desires. I have always
been fascinated by film’s ability to involve the viewer with the characters’
state of mind in a way that allows the viewer to reflect back upon his/her reaction to
that which was viewed. This was difficult for me to do in painting. I wanted to work by
myself, so stop-motion animation was a medium which fulfilled my conceptual needs and
working method. I build the
characters and get an idea of their personality through creating the body, clothing and
sculpting the little heads. My process is such that the non-linear or suggested narrative
evolves in the filming. Since it takes so long for a character to cross the set, 24 still
frames per second, I am able to create their motivations for the movement while filming.
This allows for sublimation in the process of shooting the films, similar, for me, to the
process of painting and drawing. The suggested narrative can come about in a way that
would be impossible to sustain if I had to explain it to actors or other people with whom
I was working. I don’t have to rationalize the reasons for the characters’
movements. Once they are on film, I cannot change them, but editing allows for a more
rigorous construction of the piece.
In Fear, a 2-channel dvd projection,
a man and a woman are confined to their respective screens, first in a landscape with a
plane flying overhead and then inside of an airplane. The fear that possesses the
characters comes from a schism between the desired and culturally acceptable or personally
doable. This fear is not instigated from an outside force or object, it comes from within.
This is shown through fantasy, both erotic and mundane. The music, sounds and subtle,
awkward movements of the characters build to create a drama devoid of action, a repeating
scene of irresolution.
Thanks to the Moho Memo, Harvestworks
Digital Media Center, Beyond Our Reality and Lesley Wahl. |
