A reading of the Grand Prize-winning essay in the Earth Day 50 Art & Essay Contest, April 22, 2020, held in Clark County, Nevada. Narration by winner Sydney Lin; illustrated by the top 20 artwork entries; music by permission, Zukir Hussain.
Sydney Lin
as Narrator
A crazy journey into the night.
The Boyg is the voice within that whispers go around, preventing you from facing yourself, suffocating progress and initiative. A six minute visual and musical remix of Ibsens Peer Gynt, Norwegian Folklore, Edvard Griegs composition, paralyzing panic attacks and The Great Boyg itself who finds us all.
The animation, music, and optical printing of Kitsch in Synch was produced by Beckett and the students in two classes he was teaching at CalArts. Although a group project, it is clear that Beckett was the director. The playful, catchy soundtrack is used to create a cycle of building tension and release. The brightly colored shapes create approximate symmetrical formations and become more densely layered, with glimpses of iconographic objects and even live footage near the end. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive, in partnership with the iotaCenter, in 2007.
After a big storm, food is scarce — and hungry dinos are everywhere. It's up to you to help the Camp Fam survive in this thrilling interactive special.
Enigma is something of a more glamorous version of White Hole, with a wide variety of elaborate textures (often composed of iconographic and religious symbols) converging towards the centre of the screen.
A young, unbelieving couple is being pursued by a terrifying monster. They try to hide in a church, where they meet a priest who seems friendly at first glance, but it soon becomes clear that the priest has less than honorable plans for them. They are trapped.
An artistic short film directed by Stan Vanderbeek.
The protagonists of this surreal drama are seated at the kitchen table arguing over a broken biscuit. Evan Rude (voiced by Bruce Currie) resembles a medieval knight with a propeller head, Ropeshair (voiced by John E Hughes AKA Hobart Hughes) has a head that is a cross between a football and an African sculpture. Each figure sees a fish – supposedly the protagonists’ dinner – circling in space. Inside the biscuit, a hardworking ant works for a 'crust’ to feed his family.
Shannon Amen unearths the passionate and pained expressions of a young woman overwhelmed by guilt and anxiety as she struggles to reconcile her sexual identity with her religious faith. A loving elegy to a friend lost to suicide.
In a bleak hillside hotel, strange events are afoot, as something surprising drifts in on the mist… In this gorgeously made stop motion Animator, a lonely performer falls in love with a walrus. But her dreams of singing success may prove hopeless, as the audience has other plans. A deeply surreal but profoundly heartfelt film about finding your inner voice.
Animated mugshots of criminals.
Norwegian short film about a carpenter trading places with Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.
A woman’s face disappearing behind, and emerging from, a pair of hands. Flashing lights. An empty building full of dark hallways. Designs drawn in the air with light and long-exposure cinematography.
Kupferberg Gold ad by Pinschewer.