This programme brings together pieces by artists using various techniques to explore, on the one hand, the interplay between proportions and different sizes and, on the other, the relationships between species.
Gargantuan, John Smith, UK, 1992, 1’30’’
A surprising and amusing film that plays with words and perceptual illusions. On the camera pulling back, what looked like a dinosaur turns out to be a small amphibian on the filmmaker's pillow.
Matrioska, Co Hoedeman, Canada 1970, 5’
The protagonists of this film are hand-painted wooden Russian dolls that dance, twirl and swirl to the beat of traditional tunes.
The Animal Movie, Grant Munro, Canada, 1966, 9’
A boy tries to imitate the movements of animals but finds he can't compete with them. It's only when he climbs, with a friend, into a kind of spaceship that he manages to surpass them, showing how technology transforms our relationship with the world.
The Bead Game, Ishu Patel, Canada, 1977, 5’
In this animation by Indian filmmaker Ishu Patel, a bead for making necklaces multiplies and transforms into creatures that constantly devour each other and mutate until they hatch in an explosion of colours.
Tigeris nau nau [Tiger, the cat], Arnolds Burovs, Latvia, 1967, 9’
A boy in the habit of ill-treating his toys treats his best friend, an orange cat, just as badly. Looking for new ways to entertain himself, the boy ends up bothering a magician who, angry, turns him into a little doll. Now it’s payback time and the boy has to escape from the huge cat that's chasing him.
Who am I, Faith Hubley, United States, 1988, 3’30’’
This film visualises a child's delighted discovery of their five senses, occurring particularly in relation to other animals. A handcrafted animated film that celebrates curiosity and sensory connection with the world around us.
