STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL LONDON 2012 from SFFL on Vimeo.

ARTS THREAD will be at Student Film Festival London next Friday 3 February to Sunday 05 at London College of Communication – drop by our stand to say hello! We are alongside our partners Prime Cuts with whom we will also be handing out an award – more on that later! In the meantime, we preview the festival and the work of up and coming international student filmmakers, set designers, animators and more – and highlight the key events that bring together industry experts and young creatives.

Alex Barrett, the Head Programmer for the festival says: ‘Since opening our call for submissions, we have seen literally hundreds of imaginative, gripping and moving films arrive in the office…. With so many great films to choose from, pulling the programme together has not been easy. But I’m very proud of the final result and I believe there will be something to suit all tastes, from explosive westerns to wordless wanderings.’

Still from Student Film Festival Shortlisted film promo

Still from Student Film Festival Shortlisted film promo

Outside of the competition, there will be a number of screenings. A special screening on Saturday at 10.00 celebrates the Spanish film school ECAM (Escuelas de Cine y Televisión de Madrid), whose students present a wide range of work in fiction and animation. There are stories of misunderstood vampires, a washing machine playing Cupid, zombies, a cathartic destruction of a home, unlikely friendships, a very odd girlfriend and edgy animations (including a clever noir and one about a vengeful chicken!).

Still from Student Film Festival Shortlisted film promo

Educational events Friday include the Yomi Ayeni Multiplatform Workshop, Commissioning for International Documentary ideas, International Documentary Master Class and From Student to Filmmaker.

Still from Student Film Festival Shortlisted film promo

See the festival programme

Student Film Festival London takes place Friday 3 February to Sunday 05 at London College of Communication, London.

Tickets cost £15 for a student festival pass and £20 for a non-student and individual event tickets are £3/£5.

Bonnie Gregg, 'Grow'/ Domenico DeRosa, 'The Sleep of Reason'

ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image) is a special place for anyone into film. Located in the heart of Melbourne, the centre aims to celebrate and showcase the moving image with an endless program of film screenings, exhibitions, festivals, workshops and many other special events. This month, ACMI was also the location for RMIT’s 2011 Animation and Interactive Media graduate show, Easing Out.

RMIT’s Animation and Interactive Media program aims to “provide students with the broad base necessary to develop a career within the art, design and media industries.” Other areas of specialist training offered throughout the course include animation (2D and 3D), digital art and design, digital video, motion graphics, special effects, interactive media design, sound design, as well as media theory and professional practice in a creative environment. We were fortunate to see the end result of this training with films from the eighteen students who completed the program this year.

Bonnie Gregg offered a cute interpretation of children making friends when they start school in her film ‘Grow’. Gregg’s characters each have an ‘imaginary friend’ who stays by their side until they make a new school friend.

Domenico DeRosa’s film, ‘The Sleep of Reason’ is the story of a man who is held captive in a fortress guarded by a sinister creature. The man watches from his window as an ass struggles to carry a bolder over a crumbling bridge. He is inspired by the ass’s determination and escapes from the fortress, plunging into the mysterious fog that surrounds his prison.

Alastair Richardson, 'Clean and Jerk'/ Cheng Peng, 'The Animal Restaurant'/ Dale Anderson, ''Evicted'

Alastair Richardson’s film, ‘Clean and Jerk’ featured Brett, the competitive gym-junkie who hangs out in the gym waiting for his next ‘challenger’ to arrive. When one unsuspecting gym-goer enters the gym, Brett follows him around and tries to out-do him by lifting heavier weights or cycling and running faster. Can Brett live up to his personal image of being the “the biggest, the strongest and the best”?

Cheng Peng’s ‘The Animal Restaurant’ is a powerful reminder of the way we often treat and think of animals i.e. like a piece of meat. Peng questions what would happen if the tables were turned and people were on the menu in an animal restaurant when his main character becomes ‘fair game’.

Jeremy is the housemate from hell. He takes too long in the shower, breaks his housemates’ stuff and is generally inconsiderate to everyone he lives with. After planning to evict Jeremy, his housemates are quietly relieved when he dies in a freak accident on his way to work – until he comes back to haunt them. Dale Anderson’s film ‘Evicted’ is the morbidly humorous tale of how three disgruntled housemates evict their unwanted housemate and his ghost for good.

Michelle Rose, 'Powerlines' / Mel Roach, 'Happy Happy Yay Yay'

‘Happy Happy Yay Yay’ is the adventure of two bored girls, Ike and Darwin, who embark on an imaginative journey into a land of unicorns, candy and lollipops. Mel Roach’s eccentric tale ironically demonstrates that sometimes things are not as they seem…

Amelia is a dancer and utilises her nimbleness to climb a power pole and release a bird tangled in the lines. She too becomes trapped in the electromagnetic field of the power lines, but spends her time learning to use the lines as a tight rope to dance across. The crow that she frees earlier in the film returns to keep her company. ‘Powerlines’ is a hauntingly beautiful showcase of Michelle Rose’s work.

Esther Pang, 'More Than Anything'/ Sunnefa Palsdottir, 'The Cell Hole'

A little boy’s dreams come true in Esther Pang’s film, ‘More Than Anything’ when he shrinks down to become the same size as his toys. The little boy meets some interesting characters in his miniature wonderland. This is the ultimate children’s adventure.

‘The Cell Hole’ also employs humour and irony when a small escape hole appears in a prisoner’s cell. Seizing his opportunity, the prisoner tries to squeeze through the hole, but soon learns the hole has a mind of its own. Sunnefa Palsdottir has cleverly captured her character’s frustration of not being able to grasp his opportunity immediately.

Kachain Vangsrivadhagul, 'The Croissant' /Havard Forland Isaksen, 'Spray'

An unmarked spray-can leads to all sorts of trouble in the wrong hands. ‘Spray’ is Havard Forland Isaksen’s hilarious tale of a cheeky little character who sprays everyone he comes across. The spray results in rapid hair growth, which our main character finds entertaining, but many of his targets don’t see the funny side.

‘The Croissant’ by Kachain Vangsrivadhagul is the hilarious tale of a mime, a croissant and a cheeky bird. A mime is performing in a park and sits down to take a break and eat his lunch. As he is about to bite into his delicious croissant, a bird in the tree above seizes the opportunity to whisk the mime’s lunch out of his hands. The amusing chase that follows sees our mime utilise different contraptions, such as a scooter, skateboard and jet pack to chase the bird down. Eventually the bird accidently drops the croissant and the mime pounces on it. As the mime goes to take his bite of victory, the bird’s poop lands on the croissant. Ironic brilliance at its best!

Easing Out Website.

Alastair Richardson
Chen Peng
Dale Anderson
Domenico DeRosa
Mel Roach
Sunnefa Palsdottir
Havard Forland Isaksen

extended play 11 trailer from onedotzero on Vimeo.

Extended Play was ARTS THREAD’s last taster of onedotzero’s Adventure in Motion festival, which ran for five days last week. The programme of nine films looked at the potential of visual narrative to create dramatic effect, pushing the boundaries of traditional storytelling.

Although admittedly we were warned that the collection ‘shared a sinister sensibility’, it might have been nice to see a wider mix of subject matter. However, there was no denying the variety of technique, style and quality on show.

Damian Nenow’s ‘Paths of Hate’ shows an epic aerial dogfight between two anonymous fighter pilots in an unspecified battle. Combining edgy visuals in the style of graphic novels with some stunning, far-reaching photo-realistic landscapes, there is a real sense of dynamism throughout.

Andrew Allen’s ‘The Thomas Beale Cipher’ is a brilliant example of rotoscoping, here employed to tell the story of a top cryptographer called Professor White on the trail of an infamously indecipherable riddle. The flat but engaging collage aesthetic draws on film noir and speakeasy influences. Apparently the ten minute film included 16 hidden messages, but although we spotted conspicuous numbers in various frames, we failed to solve the riddle!

A welcome, light-hearted addition to the collection was Grant Orchard’s ‘A Morning Stroll’, involving three interpretations of the same story – that of a New Yorker’s encounter with a chicken – set in different eras with distinctly different animation styles, from simple line-drawn animation to more complex digital visuals.

Adventures in Motion 2011 has now closed, but will be touring 60 cities around the world. Check out the Onedotzero website for more information on this and other forthcoming events.

Wow+Flutter is onedotzero’s signature programme at the Adventures in Motion festival, and this year’s showcase included 34 films that challenge the idea of what ‘moving image’ means. ARTS THREAD popped along on Thursday to discover some innovative explorations in motion graphics, characterisation, narrative and typography by established and emerging talent from all corners of the globe. The selection was brilliantly curated, spanning a diverse spectrum of styles and topics, with a welcome dose of good humour thrown in. Here are some of our favourites:

Alexander Gellner’s short, ‘One Minute Puberty’, humorously charts the trials and tribulations of a boy’s transition through puberty, the flowing transformation of the simple line drawings mirroring the metamorphosis of the boy’s own body.

Commissioned by Sky Sports, Richard Swarbrick’s ‘El Clásico’ is a beautiful ode to Barcelona’s unprecedented win against Real Madrid last year. The animation features an unusual and totally enchanting painterly aesthetic as well as some uncanny portrayals of key players in the narrative. Swarbrick’s shorts have been a viral sensation that have led to further commissions from The Sun.

Leaning slightly more in the direction of realism, the comical tale of the ‘Defective Detective’, by Avner Geller and Stevie Lewis, combines hand-drawn techniques with a computer-generated stylised look reminiscent of more mainstream animation. Inspiration for this quirky film was drawn from film noir and traditional detective movies.

Johnny Kelly’s ‘Back to the Start’, a promotional film for Chipotle about sustainable farming, is an exemplary case of model making and puppetry in animation with thought-provoking results.

Finally, Daniels (that’s Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) celebrates the potential of after effects in live action film, with their short ‘Dogboarding’, in which we watch a group of youths using their dogs as skateboards. Bizarre but brilliant, and a memorable film to end the programme on.

Adventures in Motion closed on Sunday, but is soon to be touring throughout 60 cities worldwide. Check out the Onedotzero website for more information.

new british talent 11 trailer from onedotzero on Vimeo.

This year’s Adventures in Motion festival, which kicked off on Wednesday, celebrates 15 years of onedotzero being at the forefront of cutting edge innovation in digital design, motion graphics, animation and short filmmaking. Aptly, New British Talent was ARTS THREAD’s first taster of the festival this week, which runs until Sunday.

The screening of 17 short films from Britain’s best recent graduates and studio upstarts offers a real mix of genres and subject matter, from abstract, 2D and typographic animation, to narrative live action. Here, we share some of our highlights.

BEST Short film trailer from Steven Spencer on Vimeo.

A stand-out for us was Steven Spencer’s richly animated biographic story of the troubled life of George Best.

The Goat and The Well from Benjamin Cady on Vimeo.

We also loved the simple line-drawn tale of a stubborn goat and his milk maid owner, by Newport University graduate Ben Cady, which got plenty of laughs from the audience.

Bubble from Elliot Dear on Vimeo.

Elliot Dear’s ‘Bubble’ was a heartwarming mixed-media music promo, created using intricate miniature sets and some beautiful metamorphic animation.

Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared from This Is It on Vimeo.

The deeply ironic ‘Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared’ by This is It Collective has already done the social network rounds, but never fails to raise a reaction. Using puppetry, stop motion, and a very catchy theme tune, the film tackles the idea of ‘being creative’.

Robots of Brixton from Kibwe Tavares on Vimeo.

Kibwe Tavares’ ‘Robots of Brixton’, created before this years’ riots, offers up a poignant tale of robot youths existing in a complexly designed urban environment.

Adventures in Motion closes tomorrow, Sunday 27th November, before touring another 60 cities worldwide. Have a look at the Onedotzero website for more information. To book tickets for remaining screenings, head over to the BFI Southbank website.

Watch this space for more highlights from the Festival.

Not many hosts at a dinner party actively encourage you to spill your wine, drop pasta sauce on the tablecloth, or cover everything in crumbs, but Swedish-born conceptual artist Melissa Henderson invites her guests to do just that as part of her on-going ‘Conversation Cloth’ project.

On the 26th of November, as part of this year’s Autumn Salon at Skånes Konstförening, Sweden, Melissa will be treating her audience to dinner as she films the third in the series, with the final video piece going on display until the 18th of December.

“I have always considered conversation and exchange to be one of the most important things in life, and often we meet and talk whilst also having food and drink,” explains Melissa who graduated from Wimbledon College of Art’s Fine Art Painting BA Honours course in 2009.

The Conversation Cloth developed from an initial project, where Melissa carried a small table cloth with her to dinner parties and events, aiming to capture the social exchanges between her and her friends through the stains left on the textile. However, following embarassing moments pulling out dirty table cloths in restaurants, she reconsidered her approach.

Staging dinner party ‘performances’, Melissa decided to film the dinner, using a camera suspended above the dining table, documenting the surface’s transformation throughout the duration of the meal. Food is spilled and creases are made in the textile – evidence that a conversation has taken place.

Melissa Henderson, 'Conversation Cloth II' still

‘It has been important to me that the table cloth doesn’t become a fetish, which is why I don’t consider the stained table cloths resulting from the performances as artworks, but instead the consequent videos. The videos are to me a more poetic way of conveying the notion of relationships in that the table cloths evolve like durational drawings and that they are, like human relationships, not something you can touch, but rather experience.’

Having previously displayed ‘Conversation Cloth II’ during the Manchester Art Crawl earlier in the year, Melissa hopes that the project will become a long running series, taking part in different places with different people each time. We couldn’t help but wonder, if she could invite anyone – alive or dead – to her next Conversation Cloth filming, who would she invite?

“I would invite Phyllida Barlow, who I admire a lot. Her recent show at Hauser and Wirth was the best show I have seen in a long time. I have had the luck of meeting her a few times and hearing her talk about art, as she was a guest teacher at my college. I love the way she speaks with clarity and in a way that is accessible. The second artist I would invite to dinner is Cathy Wilkes. The last artist I would invite is the recently deceased Cy Tombly. I admire his paintings for being so close to the medium of drawing. His work also has a fabulous sense of mark making. Whether an artist uses personal mark making or not seems to go in and out of fashion. ”

Melissa Henderson, 'Conversation Cloth II' still

Melissa Henderson’s ‘Conversation Cloth III’ will be on display from the 27th November – 18th Dec 2011 at Höstsalongen, Skånes Konstförening, Bragegatan 15, Malmö, Sweden.

Melissa Henderson website.

Skånes Konstförening website.

50 years of Dutch media and technological art are represented in a fully immersive retrospective at this year’s STRP Festival in The Netherlands. Featuring the likes of Bart Hess, Matthew Herbert, Dick Raaijmakers, Evelina Domnitch & Dmitry Gelfand the ten day long event encompasses live music, film, performance art, exhibitions and workshops.

“STRP leads the way in presenting media art as a fully-fledged art form to a wide and diverse audience,” explains the festival’s curator Vivian can Gaal. “From this perspective we have chosen works that are not only iconic but also evoke amazement, are accessible and provide an actual experience.”

Evelina Domnitch & Dmitry Gelfand, 'Hydrogeny'/ Dick Raaijmakers, 'Graphic Method Bicycle'

Highlights of the event include Evelina Domnitch & Dmitry Gelfand – founders of Amsterdam’s ArtScience Lab – who are showing their recent work ‘Hydrogeny’, a beautiful, illuminated piece which highlights the trails of ascending hydrogen bubbles in a tank of water.

Another must-see is the live performance of Dick Raaijmakers’ 1979 piece ‘The Graphic Method Bicycle’. The performance, inspired by the work of the 19th century physiologist Etienne-Jules Marey, depicts a nude cyclist being pulled at an excruciatingly slow pace by an electronic motor whilst sensors measure his pulse, circulation and breathing.

Marnix de Nijs, 'Exploded Views 2.0'

Visitors can also step into Marnix De Nijs’ 3D cityscape in the interactive ‘Exploded Views 2.0′ installation. The breathtaking piece, which has never been seen before, is the perfect example of how interaction in media art has evolved over the years. And if that’s not enough, then there will also be the dazzling visual projections on display in a live performance by non other than Aphex Twin!

The STRP Festival will be held November 18 – 27, 2011 in the Klokgebouw, Eindhoven.

For more information visit the STRP Festival website.

PSFK’s conferences never fail to disappoint as they bring together a mixture of some of the world’s most celebrated, innovative and trend-setting thinkers and creatives – and their recent event in San Francisco was no exception. Speakers at the conference included the likes of Wieden and Kennedy, Common and Ariel Waldman. ARTS THREAD shares with you a few videos of some of the best talks of the day!

Soap maker and founder of Method, Eric Ryan gave a fascinating presentation with key points including how to survive against global industry giants, create a company culture and base everything off of it, have a strong social mission and show your passion and emotion to gain partners and clients.

In an interview with PSFK founder Piers Fawkes, Yves Béhar, the founder of design agency fuseproject, discussed what shapes brands today, the need for long-term involvement and investment with a brand and the best way to connect with consumers.

Keith Yamashita, founder of SYPartners talked the audience through the inspiration behind his innovative app which aims to help creative people become ‘unstuck’.

For more information about the PSFK Conference San Francisco visit the PSFK website.

Interweave

Some of the industry’s leading designers, social scientists, engineers and curators will join together to offer the general public an insight into their professions at Interweave, a free event taking place at the V&A’s Sackler Centre this Thursday.

Organised by Jo Morrison, Digital Projects Director at Central Saint Martins and Leanne Manfredi from the Sackler Centre, the one day program will feature presentations, hands-on making sessions and an engaging ‘walkshop’ through the museum’s exciting collection.

Participants of the event will have the opportunity to learn how research methods for social science are used when designing materials and products and how new technologies and man-made tools have drastically re-shaped communities.

Jo explains: “While these themes may appear extremely specialised, my hope is that by presenting them in an informal and friendly way, people will be equally fascinated and challenged by the work. The day is aimed at all interested people, and I see the ideas and energy of the Interweave audience as being key to the success of the event – whether they wish to actively participate or have a more contemplative experience.”

Talks scheduled for the event include: How Living Technology Will Radically Change the Way We Design Our Everyday; The V&A’s Collection through Technological Change; and Convergence of the Real and Virtual in the City.

All events are free but booking is required. Visit the V&A bookings and information service  or call 020 7942 2211.

Interweave runs on the 3rd November from 10.30am-5pm at The Sackler Centre, Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL.

Koen Beljaars, Jacqueline van Kampen, Joost Aanen & Marianne den Akker, 'Axon Interactive Suit'

Ten years have passed since the Department of Industrial Design was founded at the Eindhoven University of Technology. To celebrate their anniversary, the University is inviting the general public to come and experience the work of their MA and BA students at ‘ID’11′ during Dutch Design Week.

We were amazed by the ‘Axon’ suit created by BA students Koen Beljaars, Jacqueline van Kampen, Joost Aanen and Marianne den Akker. The superhero suit collects ‘blue energy’ which the wearer can then release on enemies. The suit, which is made from 260 LED lights and 52 magnetic sensors, won the first prize during the TEI’11 Madeira event.

Joseb Al Abdeli, Maikel Janssen, Michiel Kersteman, Tim Scheffer, 'Teaseat'/Jeanine Kierkels ,'De blijde gebeurtenis'/ Niek Otten, 'Adaptive Furniture'

We also liked the ‘Teaseat’, a collaborative project created by Joseb Al Abdeli, Maikel Janssen, Michiel Kersteman and Tim Scheffer. The funny looking chairs aim to discourage inactivity and get youngsters moving. The chairs can be tilted, rotated and bumped into one another prompting action and reaction by the children sitting on them.

MA graduate Jeanine Kierkels showed her final project ‘De blijde gebeurtenis’ which is designed to enhance a woman’s labor and delivery experience whilst in hospital. The aim of the project is to provide women with a more ambient and personal experience whilst giving birth via a smartphone app which prepares women for labor and an interactive light animation in the delivery room.

Finally, we were intrigued by the ‘Adaptive Furniture’ design by MA graduate Niek Otten. The concept behind the design aims to create a seating environment for the user so that it perfectly suits their needs at any given time. The user can withdraw from their surroundings and block out any distractions or engage with their environment.

Dutch Design Week runs from October 22 to 30 2011.

Exhibition photography by Lieke van Wijck