A range of experts in animation from across the world will be speaking at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) this summer, as part of a series of discussions organised by the university’s Graduate School and film production school, Bournemouth Film School (BFS).
Specialists from Germany’s Philipps-Universität Marburg, University of Maryland, Baltimore County in the USA, and Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology in India, will be among those joining the talks at AUB, which will explore animation’s relationship with film, VFX and other areas like kinetic sculpture and installations.
Andrea Polywka, a researcher in Animation at Philipps-Universität Marburg, will begin the series of talks on Thursday 25 March with Animation as (in)visible Labour - Production, Perception and Performances in King Kong (US 1933) and The Lion King (US 2019). Andrea’s talk will be looking at the technological and aesthetic aspects of animation labour, discussing both early animation examples and later contemporary productions.
Anitha Balachandran, an Animation Filmmaker and Senior Lecturer in Animation at Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology in India will also be speaking as part of the series on Friday 30 April. Anitha’s work explores how oral history, poetry and song can be used to retell stories of the past.
A recipient of the INLAKS Foundation Scholarship, Anitha’s research has focused on representation and identity in South Asian animation, and her talk Godly bodies and modern mythologies will look at the enduring popularity of Hindu mythological figures across an evolving genre of animated myths.
Home to the internationally renowned Bournemouth Film School, the arts university is also known across the animation industry for its undergraduate and postgraduate Animation programmes. Speaking about the talks, Dr Paul Ward, Professor of Animation Studies at AUB’s Graduate School said: “We’re exceptionally proud to be hosting such a strong set of speakers from across the globe at AUB this summer.
“These events cover some of the most exciting topics being discussed by animators across both academia and the animation industry; including mythology, representation, and the relationship between art and technology in cinema.”
Speakers include:
- Andrea Polywka, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany;
- Anitha Balachandran, Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore, India;
- Max Hattler, City University of Hong Kong;
- Ruth Hayes, Evergreen State College, Olympia, USA;
- Eric Dyer, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA
The talks will take place online during March, April and May, and are open to all AUB staff, students and guests.
Register to join Andrea Polywka’s event on Thursday 25 March via Eventbrite
