The Boundaries of Life and Death
by Saskia Kretzschmann
Hello folks! Hope all is well with each of you. Sorry for my absence, but I’ve had a lot of
Halloween stuff to do, especially with this past weekend’s trip to the
Canadian Haunted Attractions Conference, and some prop building projects I’ll share with you soon.
In the meantime, here’s a very short but gorgeous piece of animation by
Saskia Kretzschmann that you simply must see. Saskia’s use of only solid black and white, (no gray gradients) is an extremely challenging way to do animation, because at every moment composition is vitally important, and yet she seems to have mastered the technique. I’ll let her describe it herself after sharing the quote that inspited her.
Writing this blog has become enormously important to me, in a way that I’m reluctant to describe out loud, lest I sound like a total douche. It’s all so pompous, so narcissistic, but nonetheless true. I like writing, and I like having people read it. I like being heard, and I have to admit that no matter what set of ideas I held dear, that basic truth wouldn’t change. That itch that Stefan encouraged me to scratch was only half the result of things that bugged me about the world. In equal measure, it was caused by the fact that up until then I wasn’t saying anything in response.
I’m an artist****, and every artist I know shares a certain set of qualities. We’re all big babies that like attention. We like people to look at what we do and we like people to tell us that we’re special for having done so. This blog has given me the opportunity to speak about art, science, and skepticism; but those things are incidental. The most important part to me is the act of expression, not the specific idea being expressed. As is at the heart of any creative endeavour, it’s the process that’s important, not the end result.
While I care passionately about the topics I discuss on these pages, if I cared about different ones, I’d be equally vocal. As a result I have no idea which direction the blog will go in the coming years, only that I’m quite certain I will continue to write it.
I admit it. I just like to hear myself talk, and for exactly two years now I’ve had a chance to do it. Any of you kind enough to have listened, even if only occasionally, are welcome to a piece of cake.
*That’s not the same video, but I think it’s from the same debate.
**Separate ideas, not intended as synonyms
***Except the Toronto Maple Leafs. I spare you fine folks exposure to that sadness.
****Fine artist, no. Just a person who does art in exchange for food, and I’ve never liked the exclusivity around the term.
