This project starts from a circle. A circle which turns and thus creates a rotation, a continuous flow of images.
It is also a circle across the Atlantic, an inquiry into the cultural similarities and differences between what used to be called ‘the Old World’ and ‘the New World’. At the same time, it is an exploration of ‘old media’ and ‘new media’, opportunities that arise from the interrelation between both, creating yet another circle.
Students from the School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology in Dallas partnered with students from LUCA Arts School in Brussels in a virtual exchange project to experiment and create animation using a proto-animation device: the phenakistiscope.
This project was developed in collaboration between professors Guido Devadder (LUCA) and Christine Veras (AHT). Here are some behind-the-scenes and production process photos:
The final compilation of all the animations is available below:
Students in the Experimental Animation Course created in our lab original animations that will feature on the stage during the American Idiot play produced at the University Theater at UTDallas. The play première is on Thursday, October 27, 2022. Tickets can be purchased here.
Play synopsis:
“Slinging razor guitars, thundering drums, and an anti-hero named Johnny. Not the prelude of typical entries in the canon of musical theatre. But these elements herald a groundbreaking American musical all the same: with the burning passion of characters who yearn for something more, songs bursting with emotion, and a story that dares you to feel and celebrate and hope.
The music of Green Day and the lyrics of lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong captured the zeitgeist of a generation with its Grammy® Award-winning multi-platinum album. American Idiot puts those raw emotions front and center in a highly theatrical and thoroughly satisfying rock opera that burns up the stage.
Monster hits like Boulevard of Broken Dreams, 21 Guns, Wake Me Up When September Ends, Holiday, and the title track soar like they were written for the stage under the direction of Tony Award® winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening), choreography by Olivier Award winner Steven Hoggett (Black Watch) and music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Kitt (Next to Normal).”
In the project, the animation students met with the play director Christopher Treviño and the projections designer, Safwan Chowdhury. Segments of three songs were chosen, and the students started to animate them. See below the credits of the animations for each song:
See below a few behind-the-scenes images of the students while animating:
Once the play is over, we will make all the animations available for viewing on the lab’s YouTube channel. See below for a sneak peek of the work and get your tickets to see the animations on stage with the amazing performers.
Each year on October 28, ASIFA (Association International du Film d’Animation) celebrates the birth of animation, recognized as the first public performance of projected moving images: Émile Reynaud’s Theatre Optique in Paris, on October 28, 1892.
This year, we return as an in-person event with a collection of international shorts especially curated to celebrate the art and craft of animation.
The event starts at 2 p.m. in the AHT lobby, with different student organizations dedicated to the art of animation, film, and games showcasing their work.
At 3 p.m., the screening starts in the ATC Lecture Hall.
The program features a mix of winner shorts from the 10th O!PLA Animation festival in Poland + ASIFA Central selection + Special Guest Shorts curated for this event by Dr. Christine Veras. See the complete list below in order of appearance in our program:
Countdown OpeningTitle by ASIFA Central
Morning Coffee(2015) by Tracy Miller-Robbins
Peering into one’s coffee, time moves in a different way. Part dream, part daydream while one gains consciousness.
O!PLA Festival Opening 2022 by Polsk Animacja
Airborne(2021) by Andrej Jobczyk
Surreal animation concerning the world of flying machines with the kingdom of flora and fauna. The tragedy that seems to be the end opens a new stage in history.
Breath(2019) by Aneta Siurnicka
A moment of respite or agitation? Letting the mind free or fighting with thoughts. Painted under the camera.
Three Little Stories(2021) by Zuzanna Michalska
Three little stories told through movement. A painterly visualization of the music of the banc KWASNY DESZCZ (Sour Rain).
A Lasting Image (2022) by Kirstin Stevens Schmidt, Scott Huddleston, Ana Villarreal, and Christine Veras
The animation is inspired by the testimony of Holocaust Survivor Dr. Zsuzsanna Ozsváth, narrating her experience in a recorded interview for the Shoah Foundation in 1996.
Ukraine Commentary (2022) by Gary Schwartz
Students at the Flint Institute School of Art created this animated film in solidarity with Ukraine. A large Soviet 35mm anamorphic projection lens was adapted for the project.
Pure – Virtual Agony(2021) by Olga Przytula
A mysterious land changes as soon as we try to get a closer look at it, inviting us to go deeper. It is a nod to sensitivities.
Despera(2021) by Alicja Liss
The film is a reflection of loneliness, isolation, and powerlessness. The author began working on it during the lockdown, during the subsequent strikes of women in Poland, in early 2021.
Distance(2021) by Katarzyna Orlowska
Two people stare at the flashing lights outside their windows, thinking about walking the distance between themselves.
Island Hopping(2021) by Michael Long
A character learns that the only way to survive in an island world is to keep hopping (and hoping) from one island to the next.
On Time (2021) by Zbigniew Czapla
An intensive travel experience that has become almost impossible. Japanese trains. Random meetings. From Matsuo Basho’s haiku to the pictures of the dying world created by Hokusai in the Manga catalogs.
I Dreamed Of (2021) by Piotr Tokarz.
Since the dawn of time, dreams have been an inspiration for reflections on the subconscious and work as a gateway to the world of abstract images created based on our thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
Elevator Alone (2021) by Anastasia Papadopoulou
Four people and the time they spend in an elevator. Inspired by everyday life and by the difference in people’s behavior when they are alone, in contrast to the socially acceptable behavior that individuals adopt when in public space.
Toddler Talks (2021) by Diana Reichenbach
A documentary animated short based on audio recordings of a toddler-aged boy named Henry. The film is animated in a way that mimics the development of language and emotions—which aren’t always clear and articulated at first.
Ten Degrees of Strange(2021) by Lynn Tomlinson
Ten Degrees of Strange is a song about trying to outrun anxiety, seeking joy and strength in landscape and movement.
An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It (2021) by Lachlan Pendragon
A young office worker uncovers the flaws in his stop-motion universe with the help of a mysterious talking ostrich.
Beyond Noh (2020) by Patrick Smith
“Beyond Noh” rhythmically animates 3,475 individual masks from all over the world, beginning with the distinctive masks of the Japanese Noh theater and continuing on a cultural journey through ritual, utility, deviance, and politics.
This program was made possible by the International Animation Day Coordination at ASIFA International by Briana Yarhouse, Jim Middleton at ASIFA Central, Piotr Kardas at Animation Across Borders Poland, and through the courtesy of the animators Tracy Miller-Robbins, Michael Long, Diana Reichenbach, and Patrick Smith. All films are screened for a day only during our in-person event.
Dr. Rainer Schulte, Director of the Center for Translation Studies, conceived the project as a multidisciplinary collaboration featuring new poetic visions for Arthur Rimbaud’s sonnet “Voyelles,” written in 1871.
The collaborative project gathered choreography, animation, music, and poetry to demonstrate the poem’s different poetic translations and visual interpretations. According to Dr. Schulte, “Rimbaud revolutionized the forms of poetic expressions. A strange title for a poem: Voyelles. The title does not suggest a topic or a subject. Words are made of vowels. Rimbaud goes to the beginning of language. The power resides in the vowels and letters that the poem is made Vowels are signs and sounds that build a word. Rimbaud wants to live with each individual vowel since the vowels open new vistas of how to enter the poem and live inside the walls of the poem.”
Dr. Christine Veras created the animations for the project in the Experimental Animation Lab. For her, this collaboration “extends my research into a sensorial collaboration using poetry, sound, dance, and animation. In exploring these bridges between technology, performance, and materiality, I continue my creative investigation as visual and sensory translations. This process of creative research through experimentation encourages and facilitates the recombination of old, new, and still emerging technologies. Such connections are only possible by knowing the past and understanding the applications and implications of animation’s more experimental and material processes. The results of such possibilities invite viewers to experience animation beyond traditional narrative formats.” See below a few behind-the-scenes images of the animation:
The project will be screened at the Open House event at the School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology on October 7, 2022. It features the choreography of Michelle Hanlon, sound effects by Kevin Hanlon, editing by Cathrin Yoder, animation by Christine Veras with assistance from Philip Martin, narration by Kathy Lingo, and coordination by Rainer Schulte.
The project will Premiere on October 20, 2022, at the ATC Gallery space at 5 pm.
A project reflection by Marcelo Rocha Capstone Project Spring 22
Working on A Decree From the Stars has been a very fun yet stressful process that I would love to go through all over again. My main goal with this short was to do some type of animation using experimental methods in some fashion. Whether animating with non-traditional materials or using unconventional digital methods, I wanted to work on something experimental. I mainly did this because I wanted to challenge myself and work on a project that would have a unique style and look to it, but also because working with experimental methods is something that I have always had an interest in.
Animating using paper cutouts was super fun and almost felt relaxing. Drawing and cutting those drawings took up a lot of my time on this project, but I think it was worth it overall, and the style was just about what I was aiming for with the short. The part that I felt needed more refining was the digital animation and effects that came up for the monster’s portions. I’m still satisfied with how it came out, but I feel like I could’ve made the monster look more striking or ominous.
Paper cutouts and title card
My original intention was to find a way to incorporate real paint into the animation. If I were ever to go back, I would try and take the time to incorporate that paint in with the digital animation. The tests where I used paint gave the animation physicality and had a real-world presence that I loved. When thinking of the story and message for this short, I wanted to focus on an environmental message because it was starting to frustrate me at the time, as well as something that I could easily fit with a giant monster story that I always wanted to write. Looking back, I would change the story to make this message clearer and possibly even bring up more pieces of climate change and environmentalism that I didn’t bring up.
Animation excerpt
When I look at the final product, I feel like I treat myself too harshly, only paying attention to all of the flaws or small things that make it hard for me to view my work all the way through. However, looking at all of the work that I have done for this short, writing and scripting, animating, editing, and putting it all together, I think I accomplished what I originally set out for and enjoyed the time I spent working on this short even if it was very stressful at certain times. Being proud of my work is normally hard for me to do, but when I look at the work I’ve done for A Decree From the Stars is something that I am definitely proud of.
Impressions after the event “Conversations About the Use of AI in Art Practice” April 15, 2022 1 to 2:30 pm Online
Written by Gizem Oktay
experimenta.l. Automata, coined after the collaboration between two research labs of ATEC, experimenta.l. and Creative Automata, had its first public event on using AI-based techniques in art practice. The event took place on April 15, 2022, and brought together a diverse set of presenters and participants in a lively discussion about state-of-the-art AI tools and how they are utilized in artistic spaces.
Slide from Marcelo Rocha’s presentation
The group of presenters was comprised of four students, along with the directors of the research labs, Drs. Paul Fishwick and Christine Veras. The first to present was Marcelo Rocha, an undergraduate student with a major in Animation, with the presentation titled “Automated Motion Paintings and Animation Using Ebsynth.” The program introduced in his presentation is an interface used to style transfer a static image onto a moving image. Marcelo showed examples from his Capstone animation project, “A Decree From the Stars,” with captivating examples of how Ebsynth was used to style transfer.
Ebsynth was also a part of the workshops given by the research assistant Gizem Oktay, which showed students at the Experimental Animation Lab how to use both AI-based and non-AI-based tools. These included Ebsynth and RunwayML, an interface that allows its users to train neural networks without needing coding knowledge. More information about these workshops can be found here.
Slide from Nathan Shoeck’s presentation
The second presentation, titled “AI’s Perception in Art,” was done by Nathan Schoeck, a first-year Applied Cognition & Neuroscience MS student whose topic was a deep dive into two models — CLIP and VQGAN— that he used for his artworks. By comparing the way human memory works to that of a network, Nathan drew connective lines between the workings of these two ‘prediction machines’, namely the human brain and the neural network.
Still from Jiatong Yao’s presentation
The third presentation of the event, titled “NeRFs Driven Art Practice”, was done by Jiatong (Tong) Yao, a first-year Computer Science MS student. Tong’s topic was on one of the latest neural network models, Neural Radiance Field (NeRF), which can create 3D objects based on a given text prompt. Through the narrative of what the model provided for her art practice, Tong described how the model works, along with other possibilities in the realm of 3D-object-based generation and how they can be used in real-time with body tracking technologies.
Still from Gizem Oktay’s presentation
The last presentation was done by Gizem Oktay, research assistant of Dr. Veras and a part of the experimenta.l. Automata collaboration since its beginning. Inspired by her year-long research project titled Corporeal Crossings, Gizem’s presentation focused on using two neural network models, a text-to-image operator called CLIP and a style transfer model called StyleGAN2. The models were used to create hybrid bodies composed of human and animal parts. Gizem’s presentation included still images and animations made with these models and interactive examples of how the visual outputs of models could be activated by audience participation.
After the presentations, participants were invited to join the discussion, ask questions, and consider possible future steps towards such conversations, processes, and future collaborations. We had a lively discussion about the philosophy of AI, how the neural network interprets abstract concepts like metaphor and perception, and what the models can provide the artists with in terms of affordances. Among the questions was whether the neural network was operating from an emotive place like humans do, which included responses from all student presenters regarding how they approached the agency of AI in the work they presented. Another topic touched upon was the issue of algorithmic bias and how artists can aid in the process of creating ethical and inclusive algorithms.
With over thirty participants, including academics from multiple disciplines, practitioners, and artists, “Conversations About the Use of AI in Art Practice” opened up a space for dialogue on how the use of artificial intelligence is in exchange with the artistic practice, questioning the role of human and the ever-increasing role of “intelligent” tools in the creative process, as well as our role in the process. The team of experimenta.l. Automata is excited to invite interested students and faculty in UT Dallas and beyond to make the area of AI Art more inclusive.
We thank everyone who took the time to attend the event, and we hope to have more such initiatives and conversations in the future.
Our research project is shaping up, and we presented our work in progress during the 52nd Annual Scholars’ Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches, organized by the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies, at the University of Texas at Dallas, from 5-7 March 2022. Our talk was titled “A Lasting Image (work in progress): The Challenges of Documenting the Holocaust Through Animation.” The animation is produced at the experimenta.l. lab in partnership with the Ackerman Center. The story is based on the testimony of Dr. Zsuzsanna Ozsváth, a Holocaust scholar and survivor who founded the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies.
The work in progress animation was showcased at the Conference on Sunday, March 6, 2022. The work was presented by Dr. Christine Veras and the undergraduate students Scott Huddleston, Kirstin Stevens Schmidt, and Ana Villarreal in a panel moderated by Dr. Nils Roemer.
Still from “A Lasting Image” (2022)
During our research phase, Dr. Roemer introduced us to Dr. Ozsváth’s book “When the Danube Ran Red,” where she tells her personal story. Chapter 23, “Witches’ Shabbat,” was particularly visual when she recounted when she and her brother were separated from their parents and taken to the ghetto in Budapest in December 1944. Inspired by her story, I discovered Dr. Ozsváth’s testimony to the SHOAH Foundation. She was 64 years old when she gave this testimony. When listening to the four tapes of recordings, one particular segment stood out when she experienced a defining moment in her life.
Dr. Ozsváth’s BookBook ChapterShoah Foundation Testimony
Inspired by Dr. Ozsváth’s writing and testimony, Dr. Veras created the script used as a guide for the storyboard, and the visuals were created by the students working on the project. From the start, students had creative freedom to interpret and participate in different phases of the project, exchanging ideas, critiquing, and proposing visual and technical solutions for what the story needed.
See below a few images of the ongoing production.
“A Lasting Image” has been part of the official selection of four international animation festivals so far, including a festival in Ukraine, and it was awarded at a festival in Italy. The film is also part of the ASIFA International selection and has been screened in multiple places in Poland, India, and the United States. Full program available here: https://iadasifa.net/2022/10/11/times-and-showings-around-the-world/
“Covid Habit” is a short animation produced in the experimental.l. lab in 2021, directed by Elham Doust-Haghighi in collaboration with Sara McClanahan and Benjamin Wu.
Written by Elham Doust-Haghighi
The “Covid Habit” short animation was created in collaboration between students of the course Animation Studio II (taught by Associate Professor of Practice Nelson Lim) and produced at the experimenta.l. lab. The process of this animation can be divided into two parts. The first part was the character design and the making of the puppet. The second part focused on making the stage assets and completing the production and post-production of the animation. I did character design and made the puppet in the Stop Motion workshop held by Hamida Khatri at experimenta.l. In addition, Sara McClanahan created a larger pair of hands for the close-up shot.
Appearance traits link the character to the “Pandemic” concept. The character is designed to reflect changes in living conditions during the pandemic. He has no mouth and nose, representing the mask-wearing faces identified from the eyes and the forehead only. Also, in pandemics and virtual social interactions, clothing generally lost its meaning as a social requirement. At the same time, people are accustomed to sitting for long portions of time, getting used to the remote working styles that make the character’s buttocks and abdomen appear bigger.
For Professor Lim’s Animation Studio II course, we were required to create an animation related to the “Habit” concept. I took the opportunity to connect the character, designed with the idea of “Covid,” to a short plot with the concept of our new “Habits” as a result of the pandemic. During the Covid-19 pandemic, globally, people were worried about changing old habits, and getting used to the new lifestyle imposed on them as new habits started to be normalized. Among the six different pitched ideas submitted to that class, “Covid Habit” was one of the two projects selected by students’ to be produced. That is when Sarah McClanahan and Benjamin Wu joined the project.
Sara and Benjamin created the scene props with cardboard. After making the assets and testing them at the lab, we found that the puppet’s hands were unsuitable for the close-up scene. For this reason, Sara took charge to make a large pair of hands with the ability to be animated.
After troubleshooting and corrections, we set the scene in a station at experimenta.l. dedicated to the project and started the animation phase. It was the first time for the three of us to make a 3D puppet for stop-motion animation. For this reason, we made a lot of tests and learned through trials and errors, experimenting along the way.
When making animation with tactile hands-on techniques, like stop-motion, the process and meditative quality of the making experience is essential regardless of the final result. I have not experienced such quality in CG work, although most of my professional work experience has been focused on CG work.
The short is one minute long and is now running its festival rounds.
This project is a continuation of a previous collaborative improvisation project aiming to connect people remotely and to develop a sense of belonging. In these experiments, people with different degrees of familiarity with animation gathered virtually via an online platform to animate together in a relatively short time. All the participants worked on one frame together after receiving basic instructions. The facilitator then saved the completed frame, and the team resumed drawing the image to prepare the next frame. The first experiment was to create an animation inspired by a musical piece.
The second experiment had a different approach. This time, by shortening the production time and spreading it through different meetings, it allowed the group to produce an animation with a longer duration based on a guided discussion and reflection around the theme of diversity.
Instructions
We’ll continue our online animation project. You can join this activity either in person or remotely from home. We’ll all work together on the frames. You only need a digital drawing device and an internet connection. You can draw using a stylus or your fingers. We’ll spend 45 minutes on this activity. This activity is divided into two separate weeks and even if you did not participate in the first iteration of the project you can join it now.
The workshop invited students to join in a socially engaged collaborative effort in depicting a happy representation of the future with stories of hope, resilience, and inspiration during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current situation around the world has shattered many dreams and aspirations. By demonstrating a reciprocal relationship between artistic production and social and political mechanisms, the participatory nature of narrative storytelling, empathy, and direct dialog has become essential in bringing those discussions to the forefront. This workshop utilized the stop-motion animation technique to highlight the importance of mental health and well-being and demonstrated how socially engaged art can act as a communal vehicle for advocacy, intervention, and healing. The duration of the workshop was four weeks, with the first week focusing on idea generation, sketching the puppet, constructing the armature of the puppet, and creating the body mass.
The second week concentrated on sculpting the face with Sculpey.
The third week centered around embellishing the puppet by sewing the attire and other accessories, hairstyling, defining facial features, etc.
The fourth week concentrated on creating stop-motion walk-cycles for each of the puppets using DragonFrame.
I had a lot of fun teaching students to design stop-motion animation puppets using everyday materials such as wood, wire, screws, nuts, and bolts, and sparking their creativity in a different way. The studio has been equipped with the latest technological tools for capturing high-resolution frames for the animation using DragonFrame. Dr. Veras has been supportive in designing this workshop and getting the supplies for students to use for that purpose. Phillip Martin Carl (Building Services Coordinator) was super helpful in carving the wood pieces for the students and having them ready to be used. The goal was to introduce the technique of stop-motion animation to the students and have them explore the medium in the experimenta.L animation lab in the Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication department at the University of Texas at Dallas.
Countdown Opening Title by ASIFA Central
Morning Coffee (2015) by Tracy Miller-Robbins
O!PLA Festival Opening 2022 by Polsk Animacja
Airborne (2021) by Andrej Jobczyk
Breath (2019) by Aneta Siurnicka
Three Little Stories (2021) by Zuzanna Michalska
A Lasting Image (2022) by Kirstin Stevens Schmidt, Scott Huddleston, Ana Villarreal, and Christine Veras
Ukraine Commentary (2022) by Gary Schwartz
Pure – Virtual Agony (2021) by Olga Przytula
Despera (2021) by Alicja Liss
Distance (2021) by Katarzyna Orlowska
Island Hopping (2021) by Michael Long
On Time (2021) by Zbigniew Czapla
I Dreamed Of (2021) by Piotr Tokarz.
Elevator Alone (2021) by Anastasia Papadopoulou
Toddler Talks (2021) by Diana Reichenbach
Ten Degrees of Strange (2021) by Lynn Tomlinson
An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It (2021) by Lachlan Pendragon
Beyond Noh (2020) by Patrick Smith
