With animator Iain Gardner leading the discussion, 2012 Edinburgh College of Art graduate Claire Lamond presents a collection of short animated films. These include three of Lamond’s own creations and a selection of shorts by other animators. The other shorts deal with various social/mental health issues, such as dealing with grief after losing a loved one and fear of the world.
The presentation begins with Lamond’s debut film All that Glisters (2012, 8’), which follows a girl whose father is suffering from asbestos poisoning. While the dialogue itself is quite subtle, the moments of silent action – for example when the main character decides to smear her clothing with glitter pens to attend a funeral – become incredibly powerful.
Furthermore, the rough texture of the puppets Lamond uses seems fitting, and seems to make them more human, although it’s quite easy to see they are not. This persists across the other two films she 
brings to manipulate: Seams and Embers (2012, 7’) that sheds light on the UK miners and their lifestyle, and hope-restoring war film Sea Front(2014, 8’).
On the other side of the war-film genre sits Danish Seven Minutes in the Warsaw Ghetto (2012, 7’). Using puppets with human eyes and black-and-white instead of colour, Johan Oettinger sets the scene for the sorry tale of a little boy who goes for a wander in the Warsaw ghetto before dinner.
Meanwhile, Suzie Templeton’s BAFTA-winning Dog (2001, 6’) provides a completely different take on familial grief. A young boy and his father struggle to deal with the death of his mother while the family dog looks like it might follow in her footsteps. Morbid, yes, yet also awkwardly funny as each character deals with the grief differently.
Daisy Jacobs’ The Bigger Picture (2014, 8’) continues the theme of films about a family member dying. Two brothers at constant odds with each other have to negotiate around each other while caring for their aging, dying mother. Funny at times, and at others surprisingly accurate about life and the effect stress and grief can have on the psyche, it’s not hard to relate to the anecdotes, in spite of the elaborate,yet elegant surreal drawn animation. Perhaps that’s why The Bigger Picture received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short Film.
The shortest film on the programme is Jerry Hibert’s Unison Bear (1995, 1’), a public ad from the nineties recruiting members for Unison, the public service union. Short, funny, yet effective, it reflects the power of the medium of animation.
French animated film Apeuree (Scared, 2012, 5’) by Patricia Sourdes explores the anxious, tentative existence of a girl who is scared of everything. It’s hard to decide if Scared is outright hilarious or tragic, as it seems like a very entertaining situation from the outside, but most likely isn’t for the anxiety-ridden character.
Humorous Argentinian film El Empleo (2008, 7’) by Santiago Bou Grasso presents a universe where the meaning of ‘work’ is driven to a whole new definition. People take the place of ordinary objects to make a living – such as a lamp – and seem to be taken for granted, like cogs of a well-oiled machine. If one part doesn’t function, it would simply be replaced, which seems like a broader commentary on the way work takes over people’s lives due to the fear of losing a job.
With this rich programme, Lamond’s theme of power and puppets seems to be explored quite widely, although at times it seems to lead to more questions than answers.
(Eric Karoulla)
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