The Crafty Animator

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Caroline Ruddell, Paul Ward

   Pages 1-15

3. Made by Hand

   • Birgitta Hosea

   Pages 17-43

4. Craft as Critique in Experimental Animation

   • Lilly Husbands

   Pages 45-73

5. Lotte Reiniger: The Crafty Animator and Cultural Value

   • Katharina Boeckenhoff, Caroline Ruddell

   Pages 75-98

6. Autobiography and Authenticity in Stop-Motion Animation

   • Carla MacKinnon

   Pages 99-126

7. Handmade Aesthetics in Animation for Adults and Children

   • Ewan Kirkland

   Pages 127-155

8. In Good Hands? Indexes and Interfaces in A Computer Animated Hand (Ed Catmull & Frederic Parke, 1972)

   • Christopher Holliday

   Pages 157-180

9. Crafted Wonder: The Puppet’s Place Within Popular Special Effects Reception

   • Alexander Sergeant

   Pages 181-201

10. Q&A with Eric Dyer

    • Caroline Ruddell, Paul Ward

    Pages 203-225

11. Back Matter

    Pages 227-231

    PDF

This collection is a study of the value of craft as it can be understood within the study and practice of animation. The book reconsiders the position of craft, which is often understood as inferior to ‘art’, with a particular focus on questions of labour in animation production and gendered practices. The notion of craft has been widely investigated in a number of areas including art, design and textiles, but despite the fact that a wide range of animators use craft-based techniques, the value of craft has not been interrogated in this context until now. Seeking to address such a gap in the literature, this collection considers the concept of craft through a range of varying case studies. Chapters include studies on experimental animation, computer animation, trauma and memory, children’s animation and silhouette animation among others. The Crafty Animator also goes some way to exploring the relationship craft has with the digital in the context of animation production. Through these varied discussions, this book problematizes simplistic notions about the value of certain methods and techniques, working to create a dialogue between craft and animation. 

• animation
• craft
• digital
• art
• visual culture
• textiles
• design
• computer animation
• memory
• children
• production

“Rather than avoiding the contradictions, the editors dive right in, showing how the practice of animation often moves from handmade to digital and back again, sliding, too, across disparate political objectives. They have wisely focused their collection on “the ways different types of animation foreground or self-consciously showcase notions of the (hand) crafted.” What’s at stake in showcasing the mark of the hand in contemporary art practice?” (Holly Willis, Los Angeles Review of Books)

“In the essays gathered here by Ruddell and Ward, the notion of craft takes on a newfound potency that encourages readers to consider—and perhaps more importantly reconsider—ideas of artistry, authenticity, and the ambiguity of craft in the realm of digital animation production. Highlighting the labour-intensive processes of animation in all forms, The Crafty Animator also discusses how ‘craft’ functions to empower, marginalise, and commercialise in different contexts. A timely book that will no doubt prove to be a valuable resource for many years to come.” (Chris Pallant, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK) 

• Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK

  Caroline Ruddell

• School of Media and Performance, Arts University Bournemouth, Poole, UK

  Paul Ward

Caroline Ruddell is Senior Lecturer and programme lead in Film and TV Studies and Film Production at Brunel University, London, UK. She has published widely on animation and the representation of identity onscreen. Caroline is currently researching craft-based animation. She is Associate Editor for the Sage publication animation: an interdisciplinary journal and series co-editor for Palgrave Animation.

Paul Ward is Professor of Animation Studies at the Arts University Bournemouth, UK. He is the author of Documentary: The Margins of Reality (2005) and a range of journal articles, published in animation: an interdisciplinary journal, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television and Animation Journal. He is the series co-editor for Palgrave Animation. 

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