HUM 203: The World in Motion, Animation in Theory and Practice

Assignment 1

Assignment 2

Final project

Voidworld, an animated short film, draws viewers into its realm with a simple premise: a stick figure character sees an object of desire, and the character strives to obtain it. Despite the simplicity in plot and design, however, Voidworld attempts achieve a deeper purpose. The work aims to play upon, and thereby expose, the typically hidden relationship between artist and audience: in short, the artist constructs symbols, and the audience grants meaning to these symbols. An animation, ultimately, is a series of static images; it is up to viewers to participate in the medium so as to connect these images together and to derive messages from it.

Voidworld, in order to engage this idea, refrains from distractions: only a limited amount of surface is given to audiences to comprehend. From there, viewers may be tempted to start forming assumptions about the blank surroundings, drawing upon the norms of other animations they have seen. When this occurs, Voidworld throws the audience in a loop, preying upon these premature conclusions by revealing completely different outcomes than expected. Viewers will be required to take a step back and reevaluate the symbols they have been given in order to make sense of Voidworld, thereby enlightening them of their key role in this artwork and all others.

To emulate the idea of simplicity and absence, Voidworld was created using just the basic tools of Photoshop. The majority of the space is white, a color that is typically associated with the void, which serves as a canvas that invites audiences to paint their preconceptions upon. In contrast, what is given to the viewers is drawn in black and is basic in design. Together, the whole is akin to elementary stick-figure drawings on scratch paper. By lulling audiences into deceptively familiar territory, they will be encouraged to subconsciously communicate with Voidworld. By the end, viewers will acknowledge the relationship between themselves and the artist.