The Paradoxical Realism of Deconstructed 3D: Why Does Self-Aware 3D Seem More Real than Hyperrealistic 3D? - Paulina Martyna Ziółkowska
PANEL 1: GENEALOGIES OF ANIMATED FORM Tuesday, June 9th, 11:55-12:25
The Paradoxical Realism of Deconstructed 3D: Why Does Self-Aware 3D Seem More Real than Hyperrealistic 3D?
Paulina Martyna Ziółkowska (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México)
3D animation from the beginning of the medium was mostly driven by the pursuit of photorealism, understood as a technical goal. By now major industry studios, apart from stylized cartoons, make hyperrealistic digital images indistinguishable from filmed reality, fighting against the uncanny valley effect. Yet alongside this dominant tendency, a distinct current has begun to emerge. It was enabled by accessible software, with films made at home or in small studios. Lesser computing capacity seems to be embraced: these films seem to visually connect to the very beginnings of the medium, playing with the deliberate imperfection of the visuals. Instead of perfecting the illusion, these films begin to dismantle it. The 3D program becomes a visible material and the animation becomes strangely self-aware. Rather than hiding the mechanisms of simulation, these films reveal them. Glitches, rigid physics, visible rigs and grids, and computational artefacts are no longer treated as mistakes, but rather as expressive elements. This approach can be described as “deconstructed 3D”. Paradoxically, these childlike, naive visuals, in their very imperfection, convey something deeper about the world: they function as a diagnosis of contemporary times, revealing a broken simulation of reality. The viewer begins to perceive the simulation as a system with its own rules and its own limitations, parallel to the visible reality. Exposure allows active engagement and criticism, which illusionist cinema does not offer. Through an analysis of works by Nikita Diakur, Gerhard Funk, Faiyaz Jafri, and Esteban Azuela, this presentation explores how such self-aware uses of 3D not only question what realism in digital animation might mean, but also invite us to look more critically at the mediated reality that surrounds us.
Paulina Ziółkowska is a Polish film director, 2D animator and illustrator. She studied animation at Łódź Film School in Poland and at Filmuniversity Babelsberg. Her debut film Oh Mother! (2017) was screened in many festivals worldwide winning many prizes. Her next film Bless you! (2018) amongst others has won a special mention at 68th Berlinale and a special mention at Animafest Zagreb. Her films have been shown at festivals like Clermont-Ferrand, Annecy, Krakowski Festiwal Filmowy, Melbourne IFF, Ottawa IAF, Stuttgart, BOGOSHORTS. She took part in Fontevraud residency and TAIS residency in Toronto. She is a PhD candidate at PAD, UNAM in Mexico City.