Global Animation Theory: International Perspectives at Animafest Zagreb

Description

Scanning historical and current trends in animation through different perspectives including art history, film, media and cultural studies is a prominent facet of today's theoretical and historical approaches in this rapidly evolving field. Global Animation Theory offers detailed and diverse insights into the methodologies of contemporary animation studies, as well as the topics relevant for today's study of animation. The contact between practical and theoretical approaches to animation at Animafest Scanner, is closely connected to host of this event, the World Festival of Animated Film Animafest Zagreb. It has given way to academic writing that is very open to practical aspects of animation, with several contributors being established not only as animation scholars, but also as artists. This anthology presents, alongside an introduction by the editors and a preface by well known animation scholar Giannalberto Bendazzi, 15 selected essays from the first three Animafest Scanner editions. They explore various significant aspects of animation studies, some of them still unknown to the English speaking communities. Cover page Halftitle page Title page Copyright page CONTENTS FOREWORD INTRODUCTION Historical and theoretical approaches from international animation studies Case studies from around the world Acknowledgements SECTION 1 Historical and Theoretical Approaches from International Animation Studies1 1 Animation since 1980 A Personal Journey References 2 Animation in the Gallery and the Gestalt References 3 On Analogical Thinking Introduction Analogical thinking: the missing premise Czech Surrealism, dialectics and analogy Analogy I: Georges Bataille’s Story of the Eyeand Jan Š vankmajer’s Jabberwocky Analogy II: Franco ‘Bifo’ Berardi and Jan Š vankmajer’s Alice Conclusion References 4 The Successful Chorus of ‘The Second Wave’ Preface: the images of ‘Father Power’ and the voices of women artists ‘Cold’ computer and ‘Father Power’ The computer as an artistic medium: absence of women artists ‘Manifesto’ of women artists in digital art The chorus of ‘The Second Wave’ References 5 Seeking Truth in Facts Introduction Animation and cultural nationalism, or the origins of minzu style How the canon was tempered Conclusion References 6 Austria Unlimited – Chances, Spirits and Limitations of a Small Production Environment Introduction From a distance – an outline of origins and backgrounds A new start – slow ascent to progressive thinking VALIE EXPORT, Maria Lassnig Exponential expansion – prospects and expectations in an opening world Conclusion References 7 Beyond Self- images Non- photographic documentary Bergdahl and the fact-based animation References SECTION 2 Case Studies from Around the World 8 Short Circuits Introduction Pivotal moments Frame by frame Doodle or spaghetti Hand and eyeglasses Loops and mutations Animated archives Synaptic cinema A semantic cinema Multiple firsts Subverting the aura Back and forth References 9‘. . . The Film Is Not About That’ 1 Preface Of expectations and frustrations Of plot and verse Of dreams and visions Of times and spaces Of eras and escapes Of gaps and subtexts Of the plane and the amalgamated Of wolves and incarnations References 10 The Importance of Ranko Munitic´’s Work on the Zagreb School of Animation Introduction Genesis of an almanac – Zagrebacˇki krug crtanog filma Theory of animation and animation aesthetics Critical reviews and theory of critics Conclusion References Bibliography of Munitic´’s books on animation 11 Animation Experienced through Music To match visual modernism: music with its own imaginary space Musical modernism of Diary Professor Balthazar and Maestro Koko: scientific dance-music for an elephant Annoyance and overlapping in The Man Who Had to Sing Different faces of musical ‘tapestry ’in The Substitute Music of great diversity References 12 The Puppet as Not-Puppet The problem of realism Cataloguing animation puppets Barry Purves’s puppets: the puppet as a human being in theatrical performance The Kabuki theatre section The cinematic ending section References 13 Subversive Machinery Bakhtinian inspirations Original-copy or the curse of the reproduction Technology-art or the soul of an instrument Biology-technology or the DIY organisms Antonisz: art, politics, laughter References 14 Lynsey Martin Introduction Background Expanded cinema Influences Formalism The films A belated historic bridging References CONTRIBUTORS INDEX A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W Y Z