Research Project

For this project, I decided to focus on Jan Švankmajer, a surrealist Czech animator, filmmaker, and director who is probably best known for his stop-motion animation, in which he brings inanimate objects to life. His work consists of dark recreations of celebrated stories, as he brings his own fantastical twist on various tales. His story begins in the 1950s, where he went to school in Prague and studied puppetry and later, worked in a marionette theater which inspired him to enter the world of filmmaking. This is where Švankmajer really shined, when he fused his traditional puppetry with animation to bring his signature dark tones to the films he created. One of his first films, Něco z Alenky (Alice) in 1988, was inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alice was a brilliant take on Lewis Carroll’s famous novel, as Švankmajer mixed his skills of puppetry and animation to produce an innocent, yet foreboding variation on the story.

Working in Czechoslovakia in the 1960s, Švankmajer did not have close to the amount of freedom that artists do today with their works. The Soviet Union led an invasion into the country in 1968, which later resulted in limitations in Švankmajer’s works. Many of his films were banned by the Communist government because of their capabilities of undermining Czechoslovakian society. One of these was Leonardo’s Diary (1972), which portrayed life in the country in an abrasive manner – Švankmajer was then banned for five years. Another was the Castle of Otranto (1977-1990), which the government though could subvert people’s faith in the news. Švankmajer was then banned for eight years. Were it not for theses obstacles in his life, Švankmajer would likely have been recognized much earlier.

Some would say the pinnacle of Švankmajer’s career was Možnosti dialogu (Dimensions of Dialogue) in 1982, a short film in part created with Claymation. The film itself is split up into three parts, each one detailing objects brought to life with the wonders of stop motion. Sense of Cinema described this film as “…instructional that it is everyday objects that are confronted, devoured, spat out and homogenized, through a series of metaphors of colonization, to an endless repetition of cloning operations. This is our digital world laid out in 1982.” Švankmajer’s films are always up for interpretation, but one theme present throughout this one is his use of almost disturbing humor and an unsettling atmosphere. These are just a few of the works that reveal Švankmajer’s character and speak to his creations.

Some more information about him:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/dec/05/jan-svankmajer-puppets-politics

Dimensions of Dialogue:

13 thoughts on “Research Project”

  1. I think it’s cool that he took his marionette work and incorporated it into his films; his work seems very interesting. The video that showed food being chopped up and destroyed was a little disturbing and I can see why some people would describe his work as unsettling. It would be really interesting to learn more about how his art was influenced by the Soviet Union, particularly when they started to take notice and ban his work.

  2. I love Švankmajer’s work, it’s beautiful in a disturbing way. When you present tomorrow, could you explain the connection you see between what we’re doing in class with code and the organic and physical animations he creates?

  3. It was a good study to learn and understand the art of another genre.
    He did great artistic work in times of pressing.
    I think about the present and the future where I can freely art without any pressure..

  4. I had always seen the clay couple segment of “dimensions of dialogue” on facebook, really interesting to see where it comes from!

    I think his work is brilliant, and a good example of the natural tension and close proximity between art and protest that’s far more visible in overtly repressive regimes. Exited to see how you present this in class/ link it to coding.

  5. This was very interesting to read! I’ve heard of photographers becoming film makers, writers becoming film makers, but this is the first puppeteer of my knowledge. It makes sense since the structure of a puppet show is similar to a movie of sorts. It’s interesting to consider how dark these are and to know he started as a puppeteer, who I imagine did work for children. His films look incredibly meticulous to create, and I appreciate his efforts.

  6. I just watched the video and the clay people were pretty disturbing, but I couldn’t look away! His animations look very complex and detailed; it must’ve taken him a long time to make. His dark vibe also seems very unique, I wonder how his work will be linked to coding?

  7. Wow, his work is so disturbing and I love it. The tongue and the pencil sharpener was so uncomfortable to watch. This reminded me of the Disney video that we watched in class because, in his film, there were many complex incorporations of the principles of animation that allowed him to give life to those inanimate objects. The blob of clay in between a man and woman was a good example of how an object does not necessarily have to have a physical resemblance to a living thing in order to convey a sense of life.

  8. I find this to be in the category of disturbing that makes you want to see more. The strange organic nature of his stop motion pieces give off a very eerie feel that makes you wonder how something like that could be made from things we commonly give no second thought to.

  9. Jan Švankmajer’s works are fascinating. I always found claymation so interesting, and he works not only with clay, but with other objects too. There is so much physical work and effort put into his pieces, which is why I find it so fascinating. Although he is a cool artist, I cannot find the connection between him and coding myself. It will be interesting to hear more tomorrow.

  10. This type of animation is very unique. The theme of his work (disturbing and unsettling) makes me wonder if something disturbing happened in his past? Maybe he witnessed something during the invasion?

  11. He seems like a very interesting character! I wonder how he gets the audio work in this video, or does he compose it himself?

  12. The rock stop-motion animation had this very cryptic vibe to it. And the fact that it had no sound was even creepier. I remember seeing stuff like this in videos like “Don’t hug me I’m scared”. I can see how people could be inspired by this creator.

Comments are closed.