The Persistence of Animation

The Spiritual-Functional Animation: A New Paradigm of Animation in the Digital Age

Abstract: This paper uncovers the pursuit of liveliness and reactivity in many traditional media artifacts, especially those invented in ancient China, followed by the juxtaposition of a corpus of generative and interactive form of animation in the digital age. The author argues that the computer should be regarded as the new animatic apparatus constructing different instances of responsive experience for the viewer, and a new notion of animation about the illusion of life based on both lively movement and reactive function has been emerging from the pre-digital era to present day and will be pervading in the near future.

Biographical Statement: Kenny K. N. Chow is a Lecturer in the School of Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Digital Media at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He received an M.F.A. degree from the City University of Hong Kong in 2007 and an M.Sc. degree from the University of Hong Kong in 2002. His research interests are interactive narrative, generative art, film and animation, including latest publications in Leonardo and Animation: An Interdisciplinary Journal. Besides, he has extensive practical experience in graphic design, animation, and film production. He is also an independent filmmaker.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 16th, 2009 at 3:07 pm and is filed under Animation technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.