2021 Bridges Conference Short Film Festival
Alex Bannwarth
Filmmakers
Alex Bannwarth
Designer, Illustrator & Animator
Wellington, New Zealand
Statement
Depicting the process of metamorphosis from tadpole to frog, this looping animation illustrates both spatial but also temporal infinity, featuring fluidly interlocking tiles that can evolve and repeat indefinitely across space and time. Concepts of repetition, recursion, metamorphosis, infinity and the cycle of life are ever present in M.C Esher’s work, a lot of his tessellations, both euclidean and hyperbolic do a mesmerizing job of exploring these concepts as static artwork. Ever since discovering his work as a teenager, I’ve dreamt of animating such tessellations, of what could be done with the help of modern computers and automation. Leveraging Blender's robust instancing system and industry leading 2D animation tools, this project combines digital frame by frame animation techniques with creative coding. The resulting real time drawing assist enables me to visualise the entire pattern as I draw and animate individual frames.
Films
Frogs Undergo Metamorphosis
00:00:43
Alex Bannwarth - Commissioned by Psychoactive Studios - Music by Blear Moon (CC BY-NC 4.0)
2020