Draft 1
My key critical question:
Does animation need to make the audience ignore the existence of frames?
The new medium I chose to explore is riso animation. The project I chose to copy is a riso animation project called “36 Days of Type 2021” by Hiromu Oka. I’ve tried to use risograph to make publications and posters before but never used it to produce animation. I also have produced animation by using hand-drawn frame-by-frame and stop motion but never get hands-on printing to make animation. So for this time, I decided to combine the risograph and animation together.
It takes me roughly 5 steps to copy the project: Preparing the file, printing, cutting, scanning, and animating. The most unexpected part happened during the scanning process. Before actually experiencing this step, I thought scanning is just simply import the frames back to the computer to do the animating. But in fact, the scanning process influenced the outcome very much. Every small move and small change can lead to a different result.
For the studio work next, I decided to explore more on the possibility of using the methods of printing and scanning to make animation and produce a studio work that has a more complete narrative related to the Characteristics of the methods.
Draft 2
I chose the “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by WALTER BENJAMIN” from our reading list as a lens to see through and analyse my project.
Benjamin argues that mechanical reproduction has challenged the traditional notion of the artwork as a unique, original object with an aura of authenticity that cannot be replicated in a reproduced copy. However, he also suggests that mechanical reproduction has the potential to be used as a tool for revolutionary change, as it can be used to challenge the authority of the ruling class and create a new, more democratic culture.
In the context of my risograph print stop motion project, the use of mechanical reproduction techniques like printing and stop motion animation can be seen as challenging the traditional notion of handmade art as a unique and authentic object. The process of printing and animating exact replicas of the original artwork challenges the idea of the artwork as a singular, original object with an aura of authenticity.
However, the emphasis on materiality and imperfection in the project may also be seen as a way to embrace the unique qualities of the risograph printing process and to reject the idea of the artwork as a perfect, polished object that is only accessible to a select few. By celebrating the imperfections and unique qualities of the risograph prints, the project may be seen as challenging the authority of the ruling class by creating a more democratic form of art that is accessible to a wider audience and embraces imperfection as a desirable and valuable quality.
Furthermore, the use of stop motion animation in the project may be seen as a way to explore the relationship between the original artwork and its mechanical reproductions. By animating the prints, the project brings attention to the unique qualities of each individual print, as well as the variations and imperfections that are present in the mechanical reproductions.
Overall, the risograph print stop motion project can be seen as a creative response to the challenges posed by mechanical reproduction, using techniques like printing and stop motion animation to challenge the traditional notion of the artwork as a unique and authentic object, while also celebrating the materiality and imperfections of the risograph prints as a way to create a more democratic and accessible form of art.
Draft 3
In draft 3, I tried to render my text by using stop motion and scanning.
Here is the link to the outcome: