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Contact Ken Custer at 303-277-9840.
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THE POWER OF ANIMATION
By Edward Bakst
Animation lays infinite power in hands of its creator by merging all art genres into one able to metamorphose via motion unbounded by time or reality, bringing to life visions and ideas freed of mental and physical gravity. Bound only by imagination, it calls for fantasy, lore of tools and grasp of its infinite powers. In exchange it offers total control over a world of artist's creation.
Like in birth giving, it impregnates artist with an evolving idea that transforms into a DNA like storyboard. As project unfolds and intensifies, artist develops morning nausea followed by doubts and regrets. But then it is born! Alive!
Appreciating animation requires education, lore of its abilities, magical powers and tools of creation. Sadly, pressured by studios hungry for "labor", many animation programs transformed into mills turning out "hands-on" animators skilled in some aspect of production but not animation liberated thinking. Knowing "how to" they seldom understand motivation, thinking, feelings, power of an idea behind the story or its evolution. Technically skilled, they know not how to analyze their own feelings or use animation as their extension. Story, reasons for being, meaning are forgotten in favor of skills. The magic is lost.
Much of television animation looks like drawn life, lacking imagination, creativity, ideas, vision. Instead of exciting and inspiring we see violent, shallow, humor-driven, ugly, unimaginative, impersonal animation.
As colleges specialize, their "product" - unaware animators suffer from inability to think, feel, imagine, be creative or expressive. They know not history, evolution of our art, or uses as shaped by historic, geographic, cultural, political or economic circumstances. Lack of appreciation for the past achievements and richness of styles impoverishes new generations. As their horizons narrow the fads take over.
Arts educated, political refugee from where arts acted as political weapon against oppression, I appreciate originality, individuality, experimentation, imagination and ideas as a driving force behind creativity. In my Western phase of life, graduating from Columbia University's Film School, I sought ways to merge my artistic experiences into one fusing them all. I discovered animation. It blends art, storytelling, drawing, illustration, design, graphics, sculpture, acting, staging, art directing and filmmaking into one wondrous form capable of transforming artist into a magician.
Guggenheim Fellow, for 25 years, I worked in NYC as an independent designer & director of animation and Professor at Pratt Institute and Columbia University. These experiences distilled in me an artistic and teaching philosophy reinforced by my professionalism, creativity, imagination and strive for ideas expressed via animation's magic. My career encompasses international awards for traditional, stop motion and computer animation projects honored by such festivals as: NY Festival, WorldFest, BPME, HOUSTON International Festival, British Online, NCGA, Imagina, SIGGRAPH Electronic Theatre (which, over time, presented 3 of my productions). My varied experience inspired an idea for an "International" animation program that shapes artists and not tools.
This philosophy is behind the International Animation Program I have established at the Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design. Our students learn all forms of animation art and production, from experimental, traditional, stop motion to 2D & 3D computer animation. Our studios are equipped with individual animation stations (each equipped with an animation stand, camera, lights, digital "Lunch Box", monitor and VCR), allowing students to work simultaneously, thus learning from each other and from our international faculty. Our CGI lab, offers individual computers running 2D and 3D high-end animation software. Our stop motion studio offers a multi-plane system and set-ups designed for all forms of dimensional animation.
Inducted students, exposed to history of international animation, learn animation's heritage and ways artists, under political or personal circumstances, utilize animation as a form of self-expression, entertainment or weapon against oppression. They discover that power of the art is not reliant on technology but might of imagination, creativity and ideas.
Via drawing animation, students probe metamorphic power of injecting life, meaning, character and story into simplest of lines or most alien of visions. Via "creative visualization" they learn how animation liberates ideas and imagination. Via experimental animation they discover richness of styles and ways ideas benefit from varied animation techniques. In stop motion, they inject life into miniature world of own design, exploring depth, textures, space, and evoking mood by lighting, thus bestowing life onto microcosm under their control. Via the most powerful of art brushes, computer animation, they create worlds that, while so believable, can be reality, logic, time, gravity and law independent. Imagination is artist's only limitation.
To further enrich this philosophy, advance these concepts and inspire students we bring in international animation artists and scholars. They join us as crusaders, propagating powers of imagination, creativity and international thinking. Their ideas, stories, animation, thinking and creativity are as varied as the cultures from which they come. Animation is their wand and spear
By teaching international animation history, creative concept development, experimental and traditional animation, stop motion, scriptwriting, amalgamated animation, 2D and 3D computer animation these visiting artists and scholars expose students to global ideas, varied cultures, creative attitudes, styles and techniques, all mind opening to our students and faculty.
Among those who partook in our program already are: Austria's Baerbel Neubauer, Maureen Furniss, American scholar and "Animation Journal" publisher, Russia's Irina Margolina, scholar and producer, Italy's Giannalberto Bendazzi, historian and author of the "bible" of animation, Chris Robinson, Director of Ottawa International Animation Festival, Zbigniew Dowgiallo, Polish animator and master teacher of CGI, Romanian "life drawing" teacher, Mati Kutt, Estonian experimental animator, Zagreb's Bardo and Vesna Dovnikovic, Sean Burns of Will Vinton Studios, Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere, creators of the "Disney's Recess", Nancy Beiman, Disney animator and SCAD Professor and Barbara Mones-Hattal, computer animation artist and a University of Washington Professor.
Within the next months we shall welcome Israel's Gil Albabetz, , Japan's Sayoko Kinoshita, Richard Williams of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", Ishu Patel, famed Indian animator, Polish scholar Marcin Gizycki and returning Giannalberto Bendazzi.
Believing that our graduates will depart unless the local cultural landscape evolves, I launched ASIFA-Colorado, a national charter of UNESCO's international association of animators. With RMCAD support, ASIFA-Colorado shares, with a local cultural community, the international animation artists and scholars visiting RMCAD. Thus we educate and propagate ideas, creativity and imagination liberated through animation.
ASIFA-Colorado's January launching presented work of the artists who partake in our international program. In Feb. Giannalberto Bendazzi offered "Italian Animation". In March Chris Robinson showed "the Best of Ottawa". April showcasted Zbigniew Dowgiello. In May Edward Bakst, ASIFA-Colorado President and Chair of RMCAD International Animation Program, offered his own retrospective. June event, first @ Tivoli Theatre in collaboration with the Denver Film Society, introduced Bordo Dovnikovic. July offered Mati Kutt retrospective as well as Sean Burns of Will Vinton Studios. In Aug. Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere, presented "Disney's Recess" and Nancy Beiman, Disney animator. In Sept. Barbara Mones-Hattal showcasted her CGI work. On Oct. 17th. Sayoko Kinoshita presents the "Best of Hiroshima Festival" co-produced with the Denver International Film Festival. Nov. 15th. Richard Williams presents "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". Dec. 13th. Gil Alkabetz's program @ Shwayder Theatre is co-produced with the Mizel Arts Center. In Jan. 2002 Ishu Patel, famed Indian animator, will offer his retrospective. In Feb. Polish scholar Marcin Gizycki will present East European retrospective and returning Giannalberto Bendazzi will offer the best of Italian animation. These events will be followed by others offering international ideas, attitudes, creative thinking and animation.
My hope is that our unique international animation program model will inspire some other programs and thus enhance the quality and depth of education as it relates to the art of animation and its history. May the animated force be with us.
Edward Bakst is Chairman of the International Animation Program at Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design in Denver. He is also the Founder of the ASIFA Colorado Chapter. Bakst may be reached at 303-753-6046 or by email at EBakst@RMCAD.edu.
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