Category: Event

During summer 2023, the experimenta.l. lab was part of the soft launch of a new initiative on campus: The Short-term Working Group (SWG), developed by Dr. Salena Brody in collaboration with the Center for Teaching and Learning. According to Dr. Brody, “the Short-term Working Group (SWG) initiative is designed to help close the gap between the number of students wanting to develop professional relationships with faculty and the number of opportunities currently available.” As criteria, the SWG presented project ideas that could be completed over four sessions with small cohorts of students.

During Dr. Christine Veras’ SWG, a group of seven student volunteers committed to making from scratch a 12-foot-high dinosaur. But not any dinosaur, specifically Gertie the dinosaur, the cartoon dinosaur created by Winsor McCay in 1914. Gertie is part of the promotion material for the play “Winsor & Gertie” to be performed at the university theater on September 8 and 9, 2023.

Meeting once a week for four weeks, two hours per meeting, the group had clear and specific goals for each meeting. The students involved in the project included undergraduates from Arts, Animation, Psychology, Pre-Med, and one Graduate student in Animation & Games.

Here are a few photos of the experience. They planned, sanded, painted, touch-up, and the students learned how to use a jigsaw to cut the wood while helping and collaborating with one another.

Video timelapse of the construction of Gertie the Dinosaur:

Installation on the UTD Theatre façade

Gertie is now on the UTD Theatre façade. Have you seen her? If so, send us pictures. Here are a few photos of her installation. Our cartoon dinosaur friend seems to be attracting lots of attention:

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Dr. Salena Brody, whose SWG initiative made this project a reality.
This project was developed at ROW thanks to the kind support of SV Randall.
Extra special thanks to Philip Martin, who helped to train the students on how to use the equipment, providing creative and safe guidelines for the project.

About the Play

Winsor & Gertie will premiere in Texas at the UTD Theatre on September 8 and 9, at 7 pm. More information and tickets here: https://calendar.utdallas.edu/event/winsor_gertie_play

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 Opening Title 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.

TOTAL Program time: 76 minutes

This year’s poster was designed by the Czech animator Michaela Pavlátová. You can read an interview with her here: https://iadasifa.net/2022/09/16/2022-iad-poster/

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.

The official International Animation Day schedule listing our event is available at: https://iadasifa.net/2022/10/11/times-and-showings-around-the-world/