Output details

Pylons

This research explores the connection between space and medium within 3-D CGI animation. It develops previous research where space has been discussed as material (within 3-D CGI). By presenting space as qualitative material within three-dimensional computer-generated animation, opportunities may emerge to reassess the function and mode of 3-D CGI as a medium. Research questions included: How might space be qualified as material, within the context of three-dimensional computer-generated animation, through practical application and analysis? Can space in relation to the production and construction of 3-D CGI animation be regarded as a fundamental property within this mode? This project complements work being developed in both theoretical and practice-based research on 3-D CGI animation. Debates concerning the nature and potential of digital formats provide a basis for such work. The application of space in research into stereoscopic cinema, or research of the ‘virtual camera’, potentially offers points of crossover and integration. The work emerges from similar practice produced by artists and animators that explore the boundaries of material and 3D CGI, e.g. Gerrard, Hentschlager and Kurokawa. To address the questions, the project adapts a theoretical model based on structural/materialist filmmaking, and a practical method acquiring supporting evidence through exhibition and formal discussion. Its uniqueness and originality lie within its aspiration to redefine the material understanding of 3-D CGI animation and its relationship with space. In related research the idea of ‘space’ has appeared as a constructional, presentational, abstract and illusionary tool. It has been integrated previously into discussions surrounding 3-D CGI but not taken a central place within the medium or considered as a material, embodying its own qualities. This research establishes space as possessing unique qualities and properties, and distinct constructional and communication values within the realm of 3-D CGI. The project was part of the ‘LOGIC 11 exhibition.