Text 3: The Indivisibility of Animation

To think about animation as a medium of expression, it is unavoidable to assert that animation itself has a potential to involve the use of visual and auditory materials since the initial step of making animation, the animation ideas, to the final outcome, the on-screen animations. In addition, caused by the unique identity of animation, while audiences are watching the animations, they instinctively construct their own meanings from what they see. Imagining the behind-the-scenes processing before those animations are output is also one of good examples. Therefore, mentioning separately to each individual animation does not cover what I am trying to articulate here, sharing you a four-decade journey of a women’s film collective that you can see the indivisible relationship of animation between the animation makers, the expressed social issues and the animations themselves would be a great way to reveal how animation works. 

The women’s film collective, Leeds Animation Workshop, was set up in 1978. The focus of the collective is on using animation to raise awareness and to provoke questions and discussion of social issues. In the article I attach below, you will find the reflections from the practitioner’s point of view through the medium of animations. Their animation project relating to women’s groups and nursery campaigns in 1978, the project concerning with the reality of working people’s lives in industries in 1980 and other projects about sexism, violence against women, racism, global exploitation and so forth are interestingly informed. 

Terry Wragg. International Journal of Film and Media Arts (2019) Vol. 4, Nº. 2 pp. 60-67 

Article Link:  https://revistas.ulusofona.pt/index.php/ijfma/article/view/7049/4208