Artist residency: root 1066 INTERNATIONAL contemporary arts festival

​As one of the ROOT 1066 artists in residence I was working with Borbonesa to produce a stop-frame animation inspired by historical and visual aspects of the Bayeux Tapestry and the ROOT 1066 festival. In the spirit of the collaborative nature of the festival we were engaging with other ROOT 1066 artists’ projects to inform parts of the animation and experiment with new ways of responding to the work of other artists.

During the residency we were situated at Hasting's Stade Hall between 12-16 September 2016. We treated it as an open project space complete with artworking areas, a project library and three animation workstations.

Borbonesa's experimental film commission for ROOT 1066 Festival. The film incorporates colours, shapes and sounds informed by ROOT 1066 projects alongside descriptions of the tapestry voiced by local historian Geoff Hutchinson. The film was produced with paper and cellophane cut-outs on a custom-made multiplane camera rig and LED lightbox, using Dragonframe and edited in Final Cut.

A MYSTERIOUS AND MANY-LAYERED WORK OF GENIUS
STOP FRAME ANIMATION / 4 MIN 20 SEC

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ROOT 1066: THE MULTIPLANE STOP FRAME ANIMATION CAMERA RIG

Inspired by the multiplane camera designed by Lotte Reiniger in 1923, we constructed a camera rig to use during production. The rig is a wooden frame built around an LED light-box and camera rostrum, with hand-operated mechanisms. This enables us to achieve a range of low-tech special effects by filming multi-layered actions simultaneously. The contraption was in continual development, and evolved as we used it, incorporating modifications such as the side-scrollers and other mechanical elements, whilst carrying marks such as holes for specific mechanisms no longer required. We used the rig to create a series of visual experiments, appropriating the structure and rhythms of the tapestry along with aspects of other ROOT 1066 projects into an abstract language of moving colours, shapes and sounds.​ Follow the link to read more about other Multiplane Cameras

 The above image was taken in my home studio after filming was completed showing all the templates, filters, and title screens each of which hand cut from card. There were no digital effects used in the production of the film. All effects were created in-camera.

 Workstation Before Filming

 Workstation After Filming

root 1066 Residency at Stade

ROOT 1066: RESPONDING TO OTHER PROJECTS

Over the course of the residency I attended all the other events over the year. Elements such as visual motifs, sound and concepts from performances informed parts of the film.

Click on links below to read about the other projects that took place throughout the  Root 1066- Festival of Contemporary Arts:

• Andrew Kotting / Edith
• Chris Levine / iy_project
• Barefoot Opera / Clash
• Dens & Signals / Feast of the Dead
• Leigh Dyer / Blacksmiths on the Beach
• Howard Moody / Push
• Stables Theatre / Three Kings
• Project Artworks / Drift
• Caroline Le Breton  / Movement
• Wildworks / The Great Survey
• Alice Schÿler Mallet / Harold's Grave
• Fiona Banner / Buoys Boys
• HRAEN / Mightier than the Sword
• Christopher Winter / A New Language
• Zeroh / ROOT 1066 Closing Event

ROOT 1066: 'A MYSTERIOUS AND MANY-LAYERED WORK OF GENIUS

The film’s working title ‘A Mysterious and Many-layered Work of Genius’, is a reference to the Bayeux Tapestry – a source of inspiration visually, materially and historically. In the months leading up to the residency we researched numerous descriptions of the tapestry and have been responding to these through film.

For more information: borbonesa.tumblr.com

m.a.p. (multi-authored project) at Admiral lord nelson School

M.A.P. (Multi-Authored Project) 
ARTIST RESIDENCY
ADMIRAL LORD NELSON SCHOOL / PORTSMOUTH
MARCH 2011
400+ STUDENTS (APPROX.) /YEARS 7-10

MAP was a Creative Partnerships summer term project which sought to help students develop a conceptual understanding of the use of creativity as well as skills and techniques which can be used in the classroom.

Borbonesa set up a temporary workstation in the mall, from where they ran workshops in book-making, printing, badge-making, stop-frame animation and other creative and practical activities. We installed a pop-up cinema in a nearby stairwell, screening a mixture of short animated films by pupils.

We also ran class-based activities in subject areas including English, Maths, Science, ICT and Food Tech to create gourmet popcorn to go with the films. The residency was documented throughout by Year 7 students, who took photographs, blogged and promoted the activities to the rest of the school. 

''Just to say thank-you for all your hard work over the last week- the final day certainly had a real bus to it, loads of positive comments about the pop up cinema''
- Anette Mills, SENCO, Admiral Lord Nelson