Power and Puppets: Small Stories in a Big World – Films and Talk with Claire Lamond (Eric

 

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)

SMALL STORIES IN A BIG WORLD. A few words with Claire Lamond

In Small Stories in a Big World, Claire Lamond presents and talks about a programme of her films, together with a selection of international animation which has inspired and excited her.

Drawn to small stories that reflect powerfully and engage emotionally with our society’s wider political and social environment and challenges, award-winning animator Claire Lamond screens three of her own films: ALL THAT GLISTERS (2012, 8’), SEAMS & EMBERS (2012, 7’) and SEA FRONT (2014, 8’).

Together with the following shorts, Claire’s choices articulate with humour and poignancy a wide range of human issues with both big and a small p political subjects and contexts:

DOG Suzie Templeton/England 2001, 6’  A young boy longs for reassurance about how his mother died while he and his Dad protect each other by holding their agony inside.

THE BIGGER PICTURE Daisy Jacobs/England 2014, 8’  The life-size animated tale of two sons, one ageing mum, and no end in sight.

SCARED Patricia Sourdes/France 2012, 5’  A gentle but poignant tale about a girl living with anxiety.

BALANCE Wolfgang & Christoph Lauenstein/Germany 1989, 8’ When your whole world is a floating platform how do you maintain the balance?

UNISON BEAR Jerry Hibert/England 1995, 1’  Join the union!

SEVEN MINUTES IN THE WARSAW GHETTO Johan Oettinger/Denmark 2012, 7’  Based on an actual event, a little boy finds himself in the middle of the brutal world of the Holocaust.

First of all, the inevitable question: what made you decide on animation as your medium?

I was drawn into animation through the enchantment of stories. I was studying illustration at Telford College and every brief I got cried out for more than a single still representation. I couldn’t get away from an urge to add the element of time and narrative onto what I created. That and a love of textiles and textures and a desire to turn them into things.

How do you feel your work fits in with manipulate’s general atmosphere?

When you say you work in animation a lot of people assume you make things for children. I’m sure the same is true for puppeteers. What’s wonderful about Manipulate is that it makes clear that the magic of storytelling and communication of ideas in these creative and abstract ways is fantastic for adults.

As a puppet animator, it’s also great to see my work in the context of ‘puppets’ in addition to its more usual placement in a film world. What I do is manipulate puppets… just painfully slowly!

Your work has a very distinctive aesthetic: do you have any particular influences – both within and beyond animation?

When I saw Suzie Templeton’s film Dog, which is part of the programme on Thursday night, a light went on for me as I realised that she had made something that brought many of my passions together: interesting films about normal folk wrestling with the loves and lows of life (I’m a big fan of Ken Loach), a slightly dark but respectful view of humans, and a use of textures and textiles and darkly appealing puppets. She has been a massive influence.

Is Scotland a good place to be an animator?

I could be flippant and say “I work in a black cupboard, it could be anywhere” but that wouldn’t be the whole truth. Scotland’s an exciting place to be an animator. There’s a buzz going on and good number of interesting people making lots of exciting things. Very much a sense of community whether you’re working independently or as part of a studio encouraging local talent like Kolik.