A-N Bursary 24/25
This year I was delighted to be awarded an A-N Bursary, which enabled me to develop my animation practice by carrying out research and gaining inspiration by visiting Halle Saint Pierre, an outsider art gallery in Paris, and exploring areas of North Yorkshire, including Druid’s Temple and Brimham Rocks, leading to the creation of more pixilation animation in these locations, extending the ongoing adventures of The Goatman. The bursary also gave me the time to develop the the animation, creating the finished pieces in stop-motion software, Dragonframe.
In May I visited Halle Saint Pierre, which was unlike anywhere I've visited before! The building itself is a magnificent hall reminiscent of a 19th century railway station with it’s baltard style ironwork and huge windows looking onto the mont martre park. The first exhibition was L'Art Brut d'Iran, a collection of artworks from Iranian outsider artists including depictions of uncanny and mystical beings such as the disquieting yet humorous creations of Davood Koochaki, whose strange pencil drawn creatures seem to peer straight into your soul, and the naive yet joyously vibrant paintings of Limoo Ahmadi (pictured). The second exhibition was the work of Gilbert Peyre, who is primarily an electromechanical artist. Most of the pieces had a moving element or two including instruments which played themselves, objects which burst into flames, and a power-lifting mechanical strongman (see picture). I’ve never seen anything like it, and it was inspiring to see how so many everyday household items could be repurposed to create extraordinary pieces of work and unexpected happenings.
In July, I visited Brimham Rocks and The Druid's Temple, both located in North Yorkshire in the UK. I was interested to explore these locations from the perspective of The Goatman after being fascinated with both sites as a child, but had not visited the Druid's Temple as an adult. Despite appearing to be a Stonehenge-esque burial chamber, it is in fact an 19th Century folly, built around 1820. Usually, I would find this news disappointing, but in fact it makes the site fascinating, particularly when juxtaposed with the not too far away Brimham Rocks, which are very much PROPER OLD! Dating back to the ice ages, Brimham Rocks offers a natural playground of endless hide and seek possibilities.
After my visit to North Yorkshire, I spent time animating the shots I took of The Goatman (ably performed by the talented and glamorous J Edgar Staubsauger) as well as spending some time working on creating appropriate music to accompany the films. I wanted to dedicate an appropriate amount of time to ensure this project is realised as best as it can be. A sneak peek to the Goatman's adventures to the druid's temple can be found here and will be soon compiled into the epic which is the continuing of the Adventures of The Goatman.
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