Excerpt from Acqua Alta
animation | 6m2s | no audio | 2021 | edition 5 + 2 AP
Ana Maria Micu - concept, digital drawing, clay animation, and editing
Alexandra Constantinescu, Radu Constantinescu - concept, 3D animation
It is, at the core, a method to document progress during drawing sessions but spreads into illustrating acts of care, protective actions, and spontaneous fantastical narratives.
Micu's initial idea was about a hand hovering over a wrinkled fabric, touching it, in an attempt to flatten, maybe caress, or examine it. The scene conveys plural meaning related to the exhibition's theme, on how objects record parts of our actions and find ways to come to life. Daily rituals of cleaning and organizing household items are an opportunity for emotional exchange between the dweller and her environment.
To this, the invited artists proposed a concept of their own, inspired by observing a neighbor's garden, where indoor furniture was being repurposed for outdoor use. As protection against the elements, a table was covered with a piece of plastic, held in place with rocks, so the wind would not blow it away. They documented this real-life situation and introduced it as 2 fragments of 3D animation, among Micu's scenes.
More ideas were exchanged between the artists, referencing acts of care performed sometimes towards valued objects, sometimes towards other people, and about the poetry that emerges when everything in such contexts is intermingled. If we think nothing at all looking at a table placed on improvised higher-ground so that the wood legs would not rot, how would we react in front of an image of a man standing slightly elevated on 2 rocks, as a protective method against the rising water level? This informed the frames with lyrical texts and the title. Acqua Alta, which describes the temporary floods that wash over Venice, brings forward a sense of urgency that envelops nowadays almost all human decisions.
The animation begins and finishes with the drawing production of the two serigraphy works. In-progress stances were saved and used as frames. The digital drawings were done observationally and when extra space was required to correct the composition, it was possible to simply add it. This operation creates movement and the video medium shows the character retreating or approaching the viewer.
animation | 6m2s | no audio | 2021 | edition 5 + 2 AP
Ana Maria Micu - concept, digital drawing, clay animation, and editing
Alexandra Constantinescu, Radu Constantinescu - concept, 3D animation
It is, at the core, a method to document progress during drawing sessions but spreads into illustrating acts of care, protective actions, and spontaneous fantastical narratives.
Micu's initial idea was about a hand hovering over a wrinkled fabric, touching it, in an attempt to flatten, maybe caress, or examine it. The scene conveys plural meaning related to the exhibition's theme, on how objects record parts of our actions and find ways to come to life. Daily rituals of cleaning and organizing household items are an opportunity for emotional exchange between the dweller and her environment.
To this, the invited artists proposed a concept of their own, inspired by observing a neighbor's garden, where indoor furniture was being repurposed for outdoor use. As protection against the elements, a table was covered with a piece of plastic, held in place with rocks, so the wind would not blow it away. They documented this real-life situation and introduced it as 2 fragments of 3D animation, among Micu's scenes.
More ideas were exchanged between the artists, referencing acts of care performed sometimes towards valued objects, sometimes towards other people, and about the poetry that emerges when everything in such contexts is intermingled. If we think nothing at all looking at a table placed on improvised higher-ground so that the wood legs would not rot, how would we react in front of an image of a man standing slightly elevated on 2 rocks, as a protective method against the rising water level? This informed the frames with lyrical texts and the title. Acqua Alta, which describes the temporary floods that wash over Venice, brings forward a sense of urgency that envelops nowadays almost all human decisions.
The animation begins and finishes with the drawing production of the two serigraphy works. In-progress stances were saved and used as frames. The digital drawings were done observationally and when extra space was required to correct the composition, it was possible to simply add it. This operation creates movement and the video medium shows the character retreating or approaching the viewer.
EXHIBITION HISTORY
2021 Ana Maria Micu solo show Objects Must Be Comfortable, Mind Set Art Center, Taipei, TW
2021 Ana Maria Micu solo show Objects Must Be Comfortable, Mind Set Art Center, Taipei, TW