On a warm summer’s day, a group of year-five pupils from Dane Bank Primary School were introduced to the John Lyon’s retrospective, ‘Carnivalesque’. The vibrant and celebratory display served as the perfect inspiration for their own creative pieces; a series of animated sequences featuring original characters of their own devising.
The group’s morning began with a visit to the gallery, where the pupils immersed themselves in the colourful and dynamic world of Lyons’ work. Armed with sketchpads, they captured elements that spoke to them, laying the groundwork for their own pieces.
Back in the learning studio, everyone set about making weird and wonderful plasticine characters to be used in their animations. It was clear that the pupils had taken a lot from Lyons’ work, adding bird’s heads to human bodies, using as many colours as possible, and generally not being held back by the rules of real life!
Next, the pupils worked in groups to add life to their characters using a simple stop-motion app on iPads called iMotion. It was an absolute joy to witness the way the students threw themselves into the project, experimenting with both the content and the form of stop-motion animation, playfully testing the limits of the medium and coming up with creative solutions.
One group devised a self-eating character whilst another tackled the complex theme of self-perception, creating a character that struggled with its own image, transforming before our eyes.
In a particularly inventive twist, one group used their fingers on the lens to create transitions between scenes. This clever technique demonstrated their willingness to experiment and problem-solve.
The imagination and innovation of these Year Five pupils shows that, when given the tools and inspiration, young artists can create works that are both playful and meaningful.
This blog post was written by Annie Woodson (Animation)
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