Animation as Artistic Practice
Phyllis Bulkin-Lehrer
Opening June 14th 2012 6:00 P.M. – 9 :P.M. screening at 7:30
The installation is open 1 – 6 pm Tuesdays – Saturdays
FREE
Location:
Harvestworks – www.harvestworks.org
596 Broadway, #602 | New York, NY 10012 | Phone: 212-431-1130
Subway: F/M/D/B Broadway/Lafayette, R Prince, 6 Bleeker
A Harvestworks 35th Anniversary Event.
This art show and screening at Harvestworks curated by Phyllis Bulkin-Lehrer with fellow animation artists Gregory Barsamian, Emily Hubley , George Griffin, Holly Daggers and Jeff Scher is a follow up exhibit that references an “Artist Talk on Art” panel event that took place on December 9th 2011 at the Westwood Gallery in Soho NYC. The Harvestworks show will include installation, film, projection and artwork by the above six local New York artists who are actively engaged in the process and paradigm of animation as an integral element of their artistic practice.
Animation is the structural core by which humans are able to read the moving image. It is the underlying algorithm of filmic projection regardless of its developmental process. New media when it broaches the visual domain automatically references animation . Almost all animation presented to an audience in our time frame uses elements of the new digital technologies in one form or another if only as documentation. How moving image artists incorporate new media is complex and not one dimensional but all are tethered in some way to traditional animation’s archival core of persistence of vision and simultaneously to the contemporary pixels of the computers visual output.
The artists in this exhibit embrace this dichotomy in very divergent but always interesting ways . Some embrace New Media and integrate it wholly into their practice while others prefer to hold it at arms length . In terms of art making, it adds up to the variety of how we experience life and express ourselves as humans. As artists we are in varying degrees products of our historical techniques and our technological innovations. How we choose to implement those degrees makes for the depth and breath of artistic potential. This exhibit explores the work of six New York art makers whose imagery incorporates animated movement in new media and old as a practical focus and an artistic identity .
Animation as a fine art endeavour has a rich heritage in the New York City area and there are many wonderful artists who practice the form , some of whom are in this exhibit. Museum and gallery fine art exhibits do not often include animated moving images and when they do it is usually by artists that live and practice far from the NYC environs. This is an opportunity to experience work by local artists who focus on many variations of the concept of animation as an art form and medium. This presentation will strive to illuminate the practice of creating perceptual movement with two and three dimensional imagery so as to demystified the process and give the work a progressive presence in the public sphere.
The artists who will present work come from diverse backgrounds to the practice of animation as an element of fine art.
George Griffin is an historic American experimental animator who has produced a marvellous body of cutting edge animated artwork and forged the way for the current generation of emerging artists who are delving into the realm of the plastic moving image. He has won many awards and is an expert in all aspect of the discourse.
Holly Daggers, an expert in the VJ world is an artist who uses digital animation to produce immersive seductive imagery that creates addictive projection environments. She often collaborates with new music and sound artists ( as well as dancers), creating a sensory experience not easily forgotten.
Jeff Scher an artist and educator , makes wonderful animated works that explore the ordinary world and allow the observer an opportunity to experience movement on a singular and contemplative plane.
Phyllis Bulkin-Lehrer is an artist/animator who made animated films and performance art works in the eighties, paused in the 90’s and reinvented her animation practice in the 2000’s digital realm. She creates installations and works with dancers often using the new media software platform of max/msp/jitter. She is exploring the mix of 2D and 3D animation with real time interaction.
Gregory Barsamian is a sculptor and animator , a rare and amazing combination. The works he creates are in a class by themselves. Often monumental, they bring the element of persistence of vision to a concrete and tangible form that illuminates and gives dynamic meaning to the idea of motion
Emily Hubley is the daughter of pioneer animators John and Faith Hubley . She carries on their esteemed tradition with her own distinctive creative approach to animation. Her beautiful films are quirky and insightful . They embody the notion of animation as art.