ANIMAFEST SCANNER IX | SYMPOSIUM FOR CONTEMPORARY ANIMATION STUDIES | PANEL 1 GLOBAL ANIMATION AND ITS HISTORY - TRIBUTE TO GIANNALBERTO BENDAZZI

Earmarked for Collision – A Brief Tracing of Collage Animation - Chris Robinson (Artistic Director/Extraordinary Procrastinator, Ottawa International Animation Festival, Verdun, Canada)

PANEL 1: GLOBAL ANIMATION AND ITS HISTORY – TRIBUTE TO GIANNALBERTO BENDAZZI
TEATAR &TD
07/06 TUE 11:00-11:30

We are living in an age of globalisation and technological saturation. Images and sounds collide seemingly every second within our subconscious. It’s a time defined by fragmentation and disconnect. And while the animation industry blindly salivates over every shiny new technological toy, it’s an older, more traditional and much less sexy technique that offers an apt reflection of modern society: collage. Collage art and film date back to the early 20th century (the earliest collages have roots in 12th century Japan). It was rooted in the age of consumerism where artists addressed an array of political and social issues by creating a carefully crafted collision of pre-existing images and sounds (e.g. photographs, film, texts) to generate new meanings and commentaries on the surrounding world. Collage has also pushed the boundaries of animation, by incorporating other artistic forms (e.g. photography, live action, experimental cinema, literature, found sound) while exploring an array of social, cultural and political issues. Earmarked for Collision provides an overview of collage use in animation through the 20th century from its traditional, handmade use (Stan Vanderbeek, Larry Jordan, Arthur Lipsett, Terry Gilliam) through to later masters, Lewis Klahr, Stacey Steers, Martha Colburn and Janie Geiser towards more contemporary digital collage artists of the 21st century: Lei Lei, Winston Hacking, Soda Jerk, Dalibor Barić and Kelly Sears. Along the way, we’ll examine how collage has developed from a rebellious anti-establishment artistic tool towards one that has been co-opted by the mainstream and online media in more frivolous and arguably negative ways (memes, gifs, and that devious villain named ‘photoshop’).

Chris Robinson is a Canadian writer and author. He is also the Artistic Director of the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) and is a well-known figure in the animated film world and was recently given the 2020 Award for Outstanding Contribution to Animation Studies by the World Festival of Animated Film – Animafest Zagreb.