In the fall 23 semester, Drs. Katrina Rushing and Christine Veras joined forces with Associate Professor of Practice Hal Gupta-Fitzgerald in a collaborative project inviting their students to work together. Students from the upper-level experimental animation and music theory courses collaborated and combined their creativity to create a project that included original animation with an original musical score. The final musical pieces were recorded in the Bass School sound studio under Gupta-Fitzgerald’s guidance and his talented student Maikhanh Ho. The final projects of this collaboration were showcased at the Jonsson Performance Hall in October.
The students were divided into pairs, one from each discipline. At the start of the collaboration, we organized a special talk with Aardman Studios director Lucy Izzard, offering inputs from her work with musicians in creating the stop-motion animation series Very Small Creatures.
After the initial group meeting, the students shared ideas around the theme Sweater Weather, and the animators started to develop storyboards. Unlike most music/animation collaborations, the musicians were involved early in the production, offering insights and feedback throughout the creation process.
The animators provided an animatic to their partners to help them plan the key moments of the composition in connection with the action in the animation. While the experimental animators were animating, the musicians rehearsed and prepared to record the music. Associate Professor Gupta-Fitzgerald states: “During the audio production phase of this project, the focus was on precision and technical finesse. Guiding the musicians through live recording in UTD’s sound studio involved meticulous attention to equipment and acoustics. Maikhanh’s high skill level and attention to detail played a crucial role in achieving the seamless synchronization of the musical scores with each animation. The outcome is a testament to the meticulous technical execution that underpins the creative synergy between audio and visual elements in this collaboration.”
The collaboration was 7 weeks long, and before the public screening, the students presented their final animation to the group for input. Animators and musicians have learned a lot about each other’s creative process and production.
The final projects were shared with the public, family, and friends on a special screening.
Dr. Rushing provided insights on the collaboration: “The Bass School of Arts, Humanities and Technology brings together a wide variety of creative and technical possibilities. As a music instructor, I wanted my advanced music theory students to have the opportunity to compose music for a specific purpose as well as develop collaborative skills. After discussing the mood, theme, and color scheme with the animators, the musicians composed a short piece of music to accompany the experimental animation project. Furthermore, the musicians had the opportunity to produce a live recording of their pieces in UTD’s audio engineering studio. The students gained an appreciation for the challenges of experimental animation and discovered the thrill of recording their music in a professional studio. All of the music students were excited and grateful to have this “real-world” experience! “
For Dr. Veras, “This collaboration not only showcases the immense creative potential of our students and faculty but also unfolds the creative possibilities when interdisciplinary talents converge. It was also rewarding to see our facilities in full use, in service of our creative endeavors. In this exchange, the animation students explored the intricacies of their field, sharing their creative process while gaining insights into the field of music. By engaging in this collaboration, students expanded their horizons and learned to cultivate a deeper understanding of the subtleties and challenges involved in collaborative creative projects. In summary, we all learned a lot and have started planning for future collaborations.”
Watch the animations and interviews with the students as screened at our event:
The experimenta.l. lab was invited to showcase the work of its student-collaborators at the Museum of Texas Tech University in Lubbock in an exhibition titled “Animation as Art: A Multisensory Experience” in Spring 2024. Drs. Jorgelina Orfila, Francisco Ortega (Associate Professors at Texas Tech), and Christine Veras, (UT Dallas Assistant Professor), are co-curating the exhibition “Animation as Art: A Multi-Sensory Experience,” which will be held at the Museum of Texas Tech University in Spring-Summer 2024.
The exhibition aims to offer the public the opportunity to encounter animation as an experimental artistic practice and as a multi-sensory experience within and through the intersections between science and magic, the tangible and digital, arts and crafts, and technology. Animation is a cross-disciplinary practice that can also use techniques traditionally associated with the plastic arts (sculpture, drawing, painting, design) to create animated films.
The works presented here were developed in some cases for over a year, and some of the pieces were specially conceived for the 2024 show in Lubbock. In October 2023, we presented the work-in-progress version of the exhibits at the AHT Gallery to test and gather public feedback. The results were successful and the pieces were implemented. Below are the construction and behind-the-scenes images of the student progress and photos of the test exhibition, followed by an overview of each piece.
UTD students Eesha Muddasani, Nick Mahoney, Zarah Najmi, Katherine Norris, and Mickey Dolphin are featured here. Discover their process and the work they will be presenting in Lubbock in 2024.
Eesha Muddasani
Title: Bee Phenakistiscope (2022-2023)
Materials/Techniques: Animation in Procreate and After Effects, Laser Cutter Files in Illustrator, black poster board, clear acrylic, plywood, metal, and torch light.
This animation of a bumblebee flying around flowers is based on the bumblebee in the Texas Tech University Museum natural history collection. Inspired by shadow puppets and paper cut-out artists, I combined paper cut-out animation with a phenakistoscope to make an animated shadow. I enjoy the intricate patterns and small details in paper cut-out art, so I implemented those techniques in my design. I also wanted to incorporate a round Texas flower that bumblebees pollinate, so I chose firewheels for my animation.
Instructions: Turn on the flashlight and then turn the knob to spin the disks. Spin the disks clockwise for forward motion and counterclockwise for backward motion.
Details: My project involves using a light to cast a clear shadow. I would try using a directional light if the museum has or can provide one, but if that does not work, I will use a flashlight attached to the mic stand, as seen below. Measurements of my project are provided in the images below, and the podium is about 10 inches from the wall. The distance from the wall might be adjusted depending on the light source. Ideally, my piece will be in a dark room so that the shadow on the wall can be visible and clear.
“I’m really excited to participate in this exhibition and share my artwork with others! I enjoyed creating an interactive animation device, and I would love for people to experience the shadow animation themselves. I think it is important to display this interactive piece to a diverse audience and learn from their reactions, and this exhibition is a great opportunity for me to do so. It would also be amazing to go to Lubbock and see my artwork displayed among all the other pieces and to see others interacting with my device in person. I would also love to see/interact with the pieces from the international animators showcasing their work.” Eesha
Nick Mahoney
Title: Hummingbird Travels West (2022-2023)
Materials/Techniques: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effects, Glass Panel.
Every March, the hummingbirds come out for the Spring, traveling from Dallas to Lubbock this time! Follow the bird as it travels through these two cities and watch closely for other moving elements in the background. This piece uses a form of animated optical illusion known as lenticular printing. The method of creating lines from drawings that fit within a gap of strategically placed black bars is intriguing and fun to create and play with. The piece took several prototypes of tinkering with the black bar thickness, changing and rearranging background details, ultimately culminating in this fun, rewarding optical animation.
Instructions: Slowly move the front panel over the background and watch for moving parts!
“Working on this unique and special exhibition over the past year has been such an honor. The environment that Dr. Christine Veras provided was a great space to toss around ideas and give each other different critiques to improve the quality of our projects. My Lenticular bird project has gone through many different stages and has required a lot of trial and error but eventually led to a project I’m incredibly proud of working on. Being able to go to Lubbock and seeing the launch of the exhibit would be a once in a lifetime moment for me and the other students. A pivotal moment in my tenure at UTD that feels well deserved after working with the lab and this project for over a year. Seeing how different people interact with the project and explain to attendees my work is something that I would not only enjoy as the creator of the piece, but also be able to learn from and get the proper resources for my future work out of.” Nick
This project aims to show a snapshot of the life of a family of mockingbirds, the state bird of Texas. This snapshot shows a mother bird stretching her wings as she looks for food for her babies so close to hatching. Under the cover of their tree’s branches, a caterpillar takes cover from the mother’s prying eyes—a lovely family portrait. The mother bird’s body is sculpted to incorporate some of my love of working with clay. For the backdrop, I wanted to incorporate some of my culture by taking inspiration from mehndi/henna designs. Finally, the flipbook boxes give a level of interactivity to the whole piece.
“This year, I had the opportunity to work with the experimenta.l. lab to create an animated installation for the Texas Tech University Museum exhibition. I was so excited to have this opportunity, as it allowed me a chance to branch out into different areas of animation that I didn’t have the chance to explore before. It means a lot to me that I was able to create something so fun and different from outside my comfort zone, something that will be displayed for the wider public to enjoy in Lubbock. This has been a wonderful opportunity for me to expand my skills, learn from my peers, and share what I learned and created with a wider audience. I’m so glad to have been a part of this!” Zarah
Katherine Norris
Title: Garden Knock (2023)
Materials: Upholstery foam, wire, wool roving, needle felting needle, cotton fabric, needle and thread, small hook and eyes, lace, ribbon, fabric dye, fake grass, hot glue, nuts and bolts, epoxy, lights, camera, dragon frame
The concept for this work is based on the juxtaposition between an animal commonly associated with trash and disease, a possum, and the opulent gowns of the Edwardian era. I also wanted to play with the animalistic trait of opossums about how they play dead and how that could play within the social norms of the Edwardian era of strict social rules. This idea was solidified with the Texas Tech Museum dress that was gorgeous and set the scene at a garden party where ladies would chat and play croquet. In the short, someone off-screen hits a ball too hard, and Daisy, the opossum, thinks nothing of it and gets hit with the ball. She then has to play off her natural reaction of playing dead and go back to conversing after collecting herself as if nothing happened. The Edwardian era is seen as very stiff, so seeing someone dressed in the attire acting in an unexpected way helps bring back life and relatability to something that seems so far from modernity. With the display, we wanted to show people behind the scenes in stop motion how everything isn’t perfect out of the shot. And how you can see hidden techniques like the bolts in her feet that can be seen under the stage that keep her standing and still when being animated.
“It was amazing to be in a room with my peers, getting insight into my abilities, and the assistance I needed to bring my ideas to life. When we did the test exhibition, it was amazing to interact with people and hear what our art reminded them of. To see people’s faces when they got to control their experience with the works of art. Seeing how the public views our work is not something that a student gets to experience often, if ever. Having fellow students and professors interact with our work was unique enough, so I can’t imagine how helpful the general public, people from all walks of life and ages, would be. It would be truly a once in a lifetime event for me to see.” Katherine
Mickey Dolphin
Title: Fiery Searcher in the Leaves (2023)
Materials: Cardstock, washable marker, and cellophane (for the beetle), cardboard, acrylic, and glass (for the kaleidoscope), Dragonframe (for the animation).
A brief animation of a caterpillar hunter beetle, also known as a fiery searcher or calosoma scrutator (its scientific name), scuttling through the autumn underbrush. This little beetle is hunting for a meal as the weather gets steadily colder. Caterpillar hunters are a plentiful species of ground beetle native to north Texas, and they fascinate me to no end! The hard shells covering their wings, called elytra, can sport an array of colors, including green, blue, violet, gold, and red. While searching for an insect to use as a subject for my animation, the bright colors on the aptly named fiery searcher caught my eye, and I immediately fell in love with it. I wanted people to view this beetle’s walk cycle through a kaleidoscope to emphasize the hypnotic colors they often sport. I’ve always been interested in the anatomy of different animal species, so I took up taxidermy as a hobby during the pandemic. I wanted to blend that curiosity with my passion for animation as an art form, which is the result so far.
Instructions: Carefully hold the kaleidoscope to view the screen and watch what happens as the beetle passes across it.
“Working with experimenta.l to create this piece of art has been a dream come true. I originally joined this project not knowing exactly what I wanted to do — only knowing that I wanted to create something. The result of working alongside my peers to craft something that I’m proud of has been so rewarding! I love art and I love animals (the stranger the better), so being able to combine both of those passions into one cohesive experience makes me extraordinarily happy. I sincerely hope that viewers enjoy interacting with my piece, and maybe come away knowing a little more about this beetle than they did previously. Perhaps they’ll be lucky enough to encounter the real deal someday!” Mickey
Coming soon: Crowdfunding campaign to help us bring the artists to the grand opening in Lubbock, where they’ll personally present their incredible creations to the public. Support the journey and be a part of this artistic adventure!
Check here the feedback the students received from the public who attended our test exhibition:
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/
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.
Editor’s note: Elham Doust-Haghighi, is a graduate student at ATEC/UTD and a collaborator of the experimenta.l. animation lab. Here she discusses her work “Hope,” a project she completed for her animation studio II graduate course, produced at experimental.l.
Written by: Elham Doust-Haghighi
I produced the short piece “Hope” as an assignment for a graduate course, animation studio II, under the guidance of Associate Professor of Practice Nelson Lim. This project aimed to overcome a technical challenge with the theme of hope and consequences. The two challenges explored in this project were adapting the 3D CG character to the real three-dimensional stop motion scene and projecting the mouth, animated with the stop-motion technique, on the CG character’s face. Therefore, I made the animation scene with clay, cardboard, and wires in the experimenta.l. and photographed. Also, the mouth was animated in the experimenta.l. using clay stop motion techniques. Also, the CG character’s animation is done in Autodesk Maya but is compatible with the stop-motion characteristics.
In producing this project, I overcame some of the aimed challenges, but some remained unresolved. What I was able to solve was to match the CG texture, light, and animation style with the clay scene. Also, the stop-motion adaptation of the mouth on the CG face was executed successfully. However, what remained unfinished is the rendering of the character’s shadows over the log and the ground. Due to my unfamiliarity with this specialized part of animation production, the shadows were not rendered with expected success in Maya but reconstructed in After Effects software. Despite my best efforts, I am not satisfied with the visual result of the shadows, but I like the rest of the work and enjoyed the process of doing the work and struggling with solving the problem.
