This cover from 2001 of the Twin Towers sparked off a lot of conversation. After being asked how it made us al feel, we talked about what we remember from that time and if we understood what was happening when it happened. Some of us had clearer memories of this than others, but it was really strange talking about this especially since most of us would have been about five or six at the time. The Towers represented a lot of power for America, so this image definitely shows the breaking down of this power and the explosion of vulnerability.
We then went on to look at this beauty. After all of our discussions about how this CD cover from 2001 is super offensive, and wondering how on earth they managed to even sell at all, we had a little shock. This CD was released before 911 even happened. Putting these FANTASTIC editing skills aside, I find this whole thing quite creepy. Quite a strange coincidence am I right?
It was actually really interesting to have such a serious discussion about this as a class, since we are all of the same age group.
After watching these two animations below, I have done some analysis on them focusing on, what I think the meanings and purpose behind them are, the animation techniques and my own personal reaction to them.
Jiri Trnka, "The Hand" 1965
"The Hand" is a Stop Motion Puppet animation which incorporates some live action. Through out, the little puppet character becomes tormented and controlled by the large hand that keeps turning up at his home. The character's persona changes through out as he becomes more vulnerable and afraid. Due to the time this was released, I think this may show some representation of the control of the government over individuals. The Hand physically controls the puppet by the strings and forces him to work, whilst strapped in a cage. That the hand changes its image, for example it becomes more sexually appealing at one point. This I think relates to the possibility of people being seduced and tricked into living a certain life. The actual appearance of the puppet represents vulnerability to me, due to his large eyes, small face and tiny frame. The lack of dialog line to the fact that at the end of the day, we are just beings with no say and that we are under the control of something much bigger. I personally found the build up of music in this to be terrifying, I felt very uneasy. It adds so much to the build up of the story and definitely replicates the dominance of "The Hand". The fact that the hand repositions and makes the puppet look happy and peaceful after his death is a sign of clear manipulation, both physically and mentally. I think this is a very powerful, jaw dropping piece of work.
Dusan Vokotic & Zagreb Film, "Surogat" 1961
I love the quirkiness of this 2D animation. In this, a man takes a trip to the beach, everything he needs is inflatable, even his woman. "Surogat" in English can mean "Substitute" so I think could link to the fact that concrete objects don't actually mean anything, and that possession of things doesn't always get us that far, especially since this chap doesn't have a successful day. When he inflates the woman he mass two attempts, since the first one is not to his liking, which I think sexualises women in a way. He ends up inflating what could be seen as a typically attractive woman. He ends up spending a significant amount of time chasing her around and trying to lure her in. She later runs off with an equally attractive man. This could link to the fact that rejection and judgement are a common feature of everyday life and that sometimes we try too hard to get what we want. I think exaggerated features of each character represent them in an individual light. The main character has a large belly, where as the second man has significantly huge muscles which shows contrast between the two. The use of sound effects add more humour and make it more lighthearted. In the end, even the main character deflates which I think could show that in the end we are all just the same. If we use people or objects as a means to an end, karma will come back around.
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