Guest artist Melissa Ferrari will lead this two-day experimental nonfiction animation workshop will focus on two overlapping themes: environments and archives. Aligning with Larry Spring’s desire to playfully explore, understand, and recreate or re-enact aspects of both the observed and unseeable world, this workshop will introduce participants to various experimental animation approaches that can be used to find and visualize truths outside conventional documentary modes. Participants will document local landscapes and histories using handmade animation techniques, resulting in a series of experiments that may be woven into a longer film. In the first session, participants will meet at the Larry Spring Museum for a session dedicated to archival animation. The second session will meet outside on the beach, where participants will use an en-plein-air hand-drawn technique to animate the local landscape. The days will include short lectures and screenings of short experimental animation to gain context for the conceptual potential of archival and palimpsest documentary animation. The resulting animations from this workshop will be shown in Salon de Physique [Fort Bragg], an evening of installation and performance at the Larry Spring Museum the following Saturday, July 22nd.
This workshop aims to provide a conceptual framework for experimental nonfiction animation and equip participants with the technical skills necessary to continue animating independently. In this workshop, participants will gain an understanding of the basic principles of animation as well as instruction on using the free stop motion animation software “Stop Motion Studio.”
No animation experience is required - come experiment with us!
Day 1: Intro to Experimental Nonfiction Animation & Archival Documentary
Saturday, July 15th 10am-1pm
Location: Larry Spring Museum of Common Sense Physics
Day 2: Landscape as Archive
Sunday, July 16th 10am-1pm
Location: A beach in Fort Bragg. Exact location tbd.
Technical Requirements & Materials
Stop Motion Studio (free app)
Participants will be required to bring their own device (i.e. smart phone) that is compatible with Stop Motion Studio.
This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org
