MA ILLUSTRATION
CAPTIVE BETWEEN DREAM AND REALITY
“Captive between dream and reality” is a mixed media frame animation made on Adobe Photoshop. The viewer encounters ideas and images mined from my unconscious, depicting transition of thoughts and emotions, exploring contradictions like the familiar and the unfamiliar, the fish and the bird, imprisonment, and freedom, hope and despair, dream, and reality. The constant metamorphosis of the character explores ideas of transformation and identity and are based on a personal symbolism. This animation takes the viewer to a journey in the depths of the unconscious while me as well, am trying to understand my own conflicting identity.
The soundtrack of the animation is made by recording collecting and mixing familiar to me sounds from my everyday life, on the island of Cyprus. You can hear the sea, voices from people at the beach as well as domestic sounds. The idea for the sounds of the videos emerged from a childhood memory in which I remember the sounds my mother was making every night, cleaning the dishes, taking showers etc., while I was in bed. I remember how safe these sounds made me feel, being so familiar and ordinary to me. Also, the sound of the sea is a familiar and beloved sound for me as I grew up near the beach and I spent most of my childhood life in the water. Using these sounds as a soundtrack for my videos emphasizes to the idea of contrast as these ordinary sounds are the opposite of the uncanny and obscured scenery of dreams. They also refer to the concept of identity as they are derived from my personal memories and way of life in my home island.
"Captive between dream and reality"
Mixed media frame animation on Photoshop
Alexandra Christou
2021
ESCAPING FATE
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In Greek mythology, the Fates – or Moirai – were a group of three weaving goddesses who assign individual destinies to mortals at birth.
This animation brings to the surface bizarre images excavated from the depths of the unconscious mind, exploring deep desires and emotions. It’s is influenced by the Freudian theory of dreams, saying that during sleep our self-defenses are lowered making our deepest desires and thoughts floating to the surface. Cultural influences also make their appearance with the main figure being inspired by the statue of Aphrodite, influenced by the Greek myth, in which Cyprus, my home island, is the birthplace of Aphrodite. In this animation opposites are being combined again; being statue made of stone-unable to talk or move and being a bird that can fly away, imprisonment, and freedom, hope and despair. Through transformations and combinations of contradictions this animation follows the character to their impossible mission in escaping and altering the irreversible.
"Escaping Fate"
Mixed media frame animation on Photoshop
Alexandra Christou
2021
PAPER ANIMATION EXPERIMENT
Exploring other ways of making an animation, experimenting with paper animation. Process: Drawing the characters on paper, cutting them out, and staging them on a black backdrop, recording each stage with digital camera, using Photoshop to collect, edit and create the animation.
"Paper Animation"
Frame animation on Photoshop
Alexandra Christou
2021
HER ODYSSEY
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- an epic poem attributed to Homer, describing Odysseus's adventures in his ten-year attempt to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.
-a long trip or period involving a lot of different and exciting activities, esp. while searching for something.
This animation leads the viewer to follow the character to its identity quest. The constant unexpected metamorphosis is based on a personal symbolism, and it is inspired by the dramatical and abrupt change of the scenes in our dreams. Images of metamorphosis also signify the spiritual transformation, the need to adjust or the need to understand myself. If our dreams are our psyche’s attempt to communicate important things and let us know what is really going on in our unconscious (Jungian Theory of dreams), this animation is an allegory of a quest to look beneath the surface of the constructed self to discover the real hidden truth below.
"Her Odyssey"
Mixed media frame animation on Photoshop
Alexandra Christou
2021
METAMORPHOSIS
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Metamorphosis is an animation inspired by my frequently recurring dream of flying. Dreaming of having wings, or becoming a bird symbolizes my need and desire to escape a place, a situation or sometimes my own self. Birds and wings are usually associated and are symbol of freedom and peace. However, the transformation from human to bird, and from a bird to a fish, indicates opposite desires-to be at once earth, sky and water bound , exploring a new sense of freedom and the multidimensionality of one’s identity.
"Metamorphosis"
Mixed media frame animation on Photoshop
Alexandra Christou
2021
FALLING APART
“Falling apart” is an animation inspired by my frequently recurring dream of flying. Dreaming of having wings, or becoming a bird symbolizes my need and desire to escape a place, a situation or sometimes my own self. Sometimes you must fall from where you are standing at, “fall apart” and fall into pieces to reconstruct a better self. The animation is abruptly terminated with the character falling from the sky, just like a dream, making you wonder how the story ends now that reality is claiming you back...
"Falling Apart"
Mixed media frame animation on Photoshop
Alexandra Christou
2021
SYNTHESIS PROJECT FIRST EXPERIMENT
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A very quick and short animation, my first experiment for this unit. Exploring frame by frame animation tool on Adobe Photoshop. Experimenting by blending different media, like drawings, photography, and effects.
"Synthesis Project first experiment"
Mixed media frame animation on Photoshop
Alexandra Christou
2021