BOOKANIMA experiments Chronophotography Animation about Andy Warhol.

BOOKANIMA, a compound word of ‘Book’ and ‘Anima’, is Experimental Animation project to give new cinematic life to book.

The project aims to create ‘Book Cinema’ in the third scope between Book and Cinema. It explores Chronophotography Animation, paying homage to the founders of Chronophotography, such as Edward Muybridge and Entienne Jules-Marey. Along the way, it experiments the concept of Found Frame, Flip Book, Key Point, Locomotive Overlap, Random Crop & Zoom, and Off-screen.

Artist statement

The concept of my work has focused on the both still image and moving image. The both have been fatefully inseparable in my work. Work starts from still image by visual art and when still image has degree of completion, I transfuse movement to them with animation. Giving a cinematic life to still image, my work explores hybrid point between still image and moving image.

For this exploration, I have gone for simultaneous study for the both Visual Art and Film & Video. In my work, every still image becomes a frame, a basic unit of Film & Video, and also every frame comes from still image, a basic unit of Visual Art. While studying the both, I have reached for this awareness: ‘After all, image is one, whether it is stopping, or moving’.

Since that point, I have set this awareness as my own aesthetics, calling it ‘Frame Art’. Frame Art talks about ‘the organic relationship between still image and moving image’ and ultimately, Frame Art is heading for the essence of the existence through movement study.

About the artist

SHON KIM, born in Seoul, S. Korea, holds BA in Law at Hanyang University, BFA transfer in Fine Art at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, MFA in Experimental Animation at CalArts, under his mentors, a master of Experimental Animation, Jules Engel (1909-2003) and Myron Emery, and Ph.D. The Candidate in Animation Theory at Chung-Ang University.

​He has presented his works at museums and festivals worldwide: MoMA, REDCAT, The Hammer Museum, Modern and Contemporary Art Centre in Hungary, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo in Chile, IFC Center in NYC, Torrance Art Museum, Orange County Contemporary Art Center, Mana Contemporary, Chicago Cultural Center, Foundry Art Center, VisArts, Arad Art Museum, South Tipperary Arts Centre, ARTUM, the National Arts Council Singapore, Seoul Museum of Art, Arko Art Center, Asia Cultural Center (ACC), Daegu Art Museum, OCI Museum of Art, Coreana Museum, Art Center Nabi, The Bienal de la Imagen en Movimiento (BIM), Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, Festival International du Film sur l’Art, International Film Festival ART FILM, Odense Film Festival, Braunschweig International Film Festival, Montreal Festival du nouveau cinema, Ottawa International Animation Festival, ANIMA MUNDI, Fantoche International Animation Festival, Slamdance Film Festival, IndieLisboa, VIDEOFORMES, Video Art Miden, Antimatter [Media Art], Florida Experimental Film/Video Festival, Bogotá Experimental Film Festival, Experimental Film & Video Festival In Seoul, San Francisco Dance Film Festival, IMZ Dancescreen, London International Screen Dance Festival, etc.

The site-specific project

Instructional books have been published for the purpose of social Psychology, such as, self-study, individual analysis and archive, etc. The project tries to share this special instructional book culture with audience in the form of visual art.

The site-specific project is based on instructional books published locally in own languages.

Short film is being made in the country where instructional book is published.

         (examples)

1. Korea: Korean Dance
2. Japan: Girl Action
3. Taiwan: Tai Chi
4. Portugal: The Unseen Cindy Sherman
5. Spain: Origami
6. Hungary: Arcszepites
7. Netherland: Skateboard
8. USA: The Unseen Cindy Sherman

Chapter

Single short film, being made with single book, gets categorized into one of five chapters as below:

1. Martial Arts: Martial Arts
2. Dance: Dance
3. Ball Games: Ball Games
4. Leports: Leports
5. Image: ​​Andy Warhol
   

Process

• Research

To research instructional books at local book stores and libraries.

• Production

1. Scan, or photograph book
2. Animating on After Effects
3. Sound design on Pro Tools
4. Final edit on Final Cut Pro

Presentation

Animation Screening with book display

Exhibition guides audience to appreciate not only moving image (animation), but also still image (book).

Watching animation, audience can check books as material for animation.

1. Animation: Screening through Projector, or TV.

2. Book: The original instructional books be displayed on the tables.

For more information visit the Artist Web Site www.shonkim.com