Skip to the content
LORENZO GIUSTI
  • Projects
  • Writings
  • Contact
  •  
Search
  Lorenzo Giusti
  • Projects
  • Writings
  • Contact
  •  

Norman McLaren. Animations

 “Animations” is the exhibition at the MAN Museum dedicated to Norman McLaren (Stirling 1914 – Montreal 1987), pioneer of experimental animation and cult author of 20th century avant-garde cinema. Curated by Lorenzo Giusti and Elena Volpato, director of the Artist Film and Video Collection at the Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Turin (lender of the videos), the exhibition presents 14 of the most important animation works by the Scottish director (later a naturalized Canadian) dating from 1940 to 1983.

McLaren began his career at the age of nineteen realizing Seven Till Five (1933), a short film in which he describes a day in the life of an art school. Animation techniques emerged two years later in Camera Makes Whopee! (1935) presented at an amateur festival in Scotland where he was noticed by John Grierson, the father of British documentary film. After the Spanish Civil War in 1936, in which McLaren  participated as a cameraman, he made ​​four films, including Love on the Wing  with images drawn directly on film. He moved to New York in 1939 and continued to experiment with painting directly onto celluloid until 1941 when he  came into contact with the National Film Board of Canada whose support enabled him to carry out works that were fundamental for the development of film animation. He experimented many techniques from painting on celluloid to the animation of paper cut-outs to cartoons, pixillation (with the inclusion of real actors in animated sequences), stop motion, and digital techniques.

Along with such works as Boogie Doodle (1940), Begone Dull Care (1949) or A Phantasy (1952), on  display at MAN is also the famous short Neighbours (1952 ), which won McLaren numerous awards including an Oscar for best Documentary. The film, in which real people are used to create animated effects, describes the fratricidal struggle between two neighbors to possess the blooming flower growing on their respective property lines.

Among the other works in the show, Blinkity Blank (1955) is a short film portraying the conflict of a bird with its cage with images engraved directly on film,  while in Chairy Tale (1957), an animation of objects and people to music by Ravi Shankar, the conflict is between a man and his chair. Le Merle (1958) is  a short based on an old French-Canadian song which tells the story of a blackbird who, as the song’s verses advance, loses body parts that are continually recomposed in new images.

Among the works from the 1960s are Lines-Horizontal (1961) and Mosaic (1965), the second and third of a series of three short films produced in collaboration with Evelin Lambart. New York Lightboard Record (1961) shows the reaction of New Yorkers as they look at a brightly lit Times Square billboard; Pas de Deux (1967) is a black and white video featuring dancers Margaret Mercier and Vincent Warren in which the intertwining of music and dance recreates an almost stroboscopic visual effect thanks to the use of slow-motion techniques.

Representing McLaren’s later production, the award-winning Synchromy (1971), in which music and images interact in perfect sync, exploits the potential of information technology and new optical techniques , Animated Motion 5 (1978), made in collaboration with Grant Munro, and Narcissus, a short musical from 1983, the last film made ​​for the National Film Board of Canada.

Museo MAN, Nuoro

13.09-03.11.2013

Date

May 15, 2013

Share
LORENZO GIUSTI

No posts were found for provided query parameters.

© 2021 Qode Interactive, All Rights Reserved
Instagram Behance Dribbble
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT