TEXTPOP

MOTION DESIGN

Animation, 2:00 minutes

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Textpop is a 2-minute experimental animation and motion design project that explores the complexities of visible language, neurodivergence, and constructed meaning. It is an artistic exploration of how our brains perceive and organize information, questioning whether we process data directly through color, image, type, or a combination of these elements and how it impacts our emotional landscape of joy, misunderstanding, grief, and confusion.

It examines the rapid flow of information and how our minds adapt to this constant influx. By utilizing text & direct messages, lists, and other language snippets hoarded in mobile phones, the piece creates a fractured visual narrative that changes at the rate of the average contemporary attention span—every 3-8 seconds. This frenetic pace reflects our modern experience with digital communication and the fleeting nature of our focus.

Borrowing from the vernacular of texting language, social media, and 21st-century slang, TextPop treats text as a tangible material. The work encourages viewers to reflect on how we construct and interpret information, navigate our environment, and adapt to evolving linguistic norms. The piece challenges viewers to consider how much information can be absorbed and retained versus how it is directed and delivered.

It is also an experiment in mixed methodologies. Created using contemporary Motion Media & Design tools reserved for mainly commercial practices, without traditional storyboarding or previsualization, the project investigates how digital animation and motion design can share /deviate from experimental practices like direct-to-film animation. Each phrase, word, or scene is completed straight ahead, with no interstitial edits, adopting a workflow reminiscent of cameraless filmmaking but within a digital environment. This method emphasizes spontaneity and organic development, allowing the piece to evolve naturally.

The project employs a combination of analog and digital techniques, including analog construction, digital photography, designed type, and generative imagery. These methods are drawn from practices used in commercial advertising and media, where type and imagery are constructed in 2D, 3D, and mixed media formats. This blend of techniques creates a rich, textured visual experience that mirrors the complexity of modern communication.

EXHIBITIONS

2025 UK Animation & Music Video Festival, London, UK. (Forthcoming 2/25) International Juried screening.

2025 Digital Media & Design Faculty Exhibition, The William Benton Museum of Art, Storrs, CT (Forthcoming 1/2025). Invited Exhibition.

2024 International Experimental Film Festival, Athens Greece. International Juried screening.

2024 KinoDrome Film Festival, Cleveland, OH. Juried screening.

2024 Experimental, Dance & Music Film Festival, Toronto, Canada. International Juried screening.

INTELLECTUAL IMPACT & MERIT

Intellectual Merit

This project is intellectually significant because it pushes the boundaries of traditional animation and motion design. It employs a unique methodology that eschews traditional workflows in design and animation, such as sound sync, storyboarding, and previsualization in favor of a spontaneous and organic development process, reminiscent of direct-to-film animation but within a digital environment. The work combines analog and digital techniques, including analog construction, digital photography, designed type, and generative imagery, creating a rich, textured visual experience. This blend of techniques not only enhances the project's aesthetic depth but also mirrors the complexity of modern communication.

Impact

“TextPop'' was completed in June 2024 and is currently under review or in the process of being sent out for public exhibition, but its potential impact is substantial. Forthcoming exhibitions include the UConn Digital Media and Design Faculty Show at the William Benton Museum of Art in October 2024. The piece challenges viewers to reflect on how we construct and interpret information, navigate our environment, and adapt to evolving linguistic norms. By treating text as a tangible material and reflecting the frenetic pace of modern digital communication, "TextPop" prompts audiences to consider the balance between information absorption and the manner in which it is delivered. In this way, it also provokes conversation, understanding, and empathy for neurodivergent individuals and those with non-visible disability who process or retain information in fractures.

The innovative approach of "TextPop" in utilizing contemporary motion media and design tools typically reserved for commercial practices positions it as a significant contribution to the field of experimental animation. Its exploration of neurodivergence and constructed meaning addresses critical contemporary issues, making it relevant to discussions on how digital communication influences cognitive processes and emotional experiences.By engaging with these themes, "TextPop" has the potential to resonate with a broad audience, including those interested in digital media, communication studies, and neurodivergence. Its eventual exhibition is expected to foster important conversations about the role of digital communication in shaping our perceptions and emotional landscapes.