Mimi Kirchner’s big men dolls are fun. It’s interesting how different the wool patterns and texture makes them, and I really like the spoof heroic shape! This one is my favourite. As someone remarks these guys are reminiscent of David Byrne in his Big White Suit in Stop Making Sense.
Mimi also makes the best bugs, too. (And you might know by now how I like a good insect!)
I mentioned performances of Nyet Nyet’s Picnic, by the Snuff Puppets, at the Big West Festival recently. At Flickr, Peter Stuckings has some great photographs of some of the puppets, starting here. Thanks to Jose at titereblog for finding them.
This is one side of my ‘computer bugs’ traffic control box, done for Colour-in Canberra. It’s on the corner of Corrina and Callum Streets in Woden. If you’d like to see the other sides and top, there are a few more pictures here. I think people are likely to interpret them as gremlins, but to me they are about becoming involved with the intricacy of the internet, and how rich an experience that can be.
Andrew from PuppetVision, has opened another blog,Machin-X to do with digital puppetry. In his introductory post, Andrew defines digital puppetry as distinct from 3D animation and motion capture:
I define digital puppetry – at least for the purposes of this blog – as the manipulation and performance of digital objects and characters in real-time using a mouse, joystick or some other kind of input device. The forthcoming Jim Henson series Francis? That’s digital puppetry. Machinima? That’s a homebrewed form of digital puppetry. This is definitely digital puppetry too.
Keep an eye on Machin-X as it documents projects and explores developments in a very new field.
Update: My Flickr page where I have this photo stored is now showing ads for a flavoured lip plumper and long lasting, naturally flavored lip glosses! :-P
Another winner in the recent Australian Film Institute Awards was The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello, which picked up Best Short Animation, and Oustanding Achievement in Craft in a Non-Feature, Production Design, for the director, Anthony Lucas. It caught my attention not only because it looks cool, but because it’s another example of the exciting work going on with shadow puppetry and new technologies that I mentioned in a couple of previous posts.
Back in October, Ward was really enthusiastic about seeing Jasper at the Ottawa Animation Festival:
Omigosh, I absolutely LOVED the next film… Is it stop-motion? CG? It’s a little bit of both and it looks entirely amazing. Harking back to the very first animated film, The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926), Jasper is done in silhouette, like an elaborate shadow puppet play.
You can get a feel for film by looking at their wallpaper downloads. There is an interesting mix of silhouette and photographic detail. And I like the whimsy of the imagined world and the gazette; some of it is quite pointed. Too bad Jasper not going to be screened here in Canberra.
Anthony Lucas is from 3D Films, which specializes in clay and stop-motion animation for TV commercials, station IDs and special effects. It’s an interesting site to take a wander through. There are some precursors to Jasper. For instance, there are stills and making details of the SBS Station IDs that were done with silhouettes and organic materials to give them a handmade look, as well as a quick time movie of one of them. And the selection of images from their film Holding your Breath are great. I like the look of Bad Baby Amy, too.
Updates:
Lucas‘s Jasper Morello has been nominated for an Oscar in the best short animation catagory.
A review in The Age.
A short video clip from Jasper Morello.
Jasper Morello will be screening on SBS on Friday 10th March at 8.00pm.
The DVD of Jasper Morello, including a ‘making of’ featurette and other award winning films by director Anthony Lucas will be in shops on March 15th.
Updated 2015: broken links
Today Singapore executed Nguyen Tuong Van, a young Australian man. I oppose the death penalty. I always have: my abhorrence to the hanging of Ronald Ryan, the last man hanged in Australia in 1967, when I was 13, is a very distinct and early political memory. In thinking about of Van Nguyen, it’s all too painful to remind oneself that the death penalty is considered acceptable and necessary in many countries, including the US, which is just coming up to the milestone of 1000 people executed since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
Wear a yellow ribbon over the next few days to show your support for Van Nguyen and opposition to the death penalty.
(image: CUADP, and Amnesty International)
Updated links 2015
