Creative Capital

Joanna Priestley Surface Dive

Discipline
Film/Video
Medium
Interdisciplinary
Subject

Environment
State
Oregon
Year
2000
Status
Completed

Description

Surface Dive is made with three layers of abstract artwork, which have been shot on a multi-plane animation stand. On the top layer there are replacement animation sculptures (about 600 total), with frosted/etched/molded glass (about 150 pieces) on the middle level and pastel and watercolor paintings (about 2200 paintings) on the bottom level. Each level was animated separately. To create the replacement animation sculptures, Priestley first made a shape out of Sculpey and then made a silicone mold around the shape. Next she constructed molded sculptures and organized them into an animated sequence. The sculptures were filed, sanded, gessoed, painted with acrylics, and sprayed with a final topcoat of clear acrylic. The ability to render highly detailed surfaces distinguishes replacement animation from clay or foam laytex animation.

Joanna Priestley

Joanna Priestley has produced and directed 22 films, which have won awards in film festivals around the world, including the National Educational Film F…
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Project Updates

2001: Surface Dive wins City of Vienna Prize (First Prize) at Culture2Culture Tricky Women Festival in Austria
2002: Surface Dive receives Best Experimental Film Second Prize at the World Animation Celebration in Los Angeles
2000: Surface Dive is previewed at MoMA in New York
2001: Surface Dive is screened at Anima Mundi International Animation Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2001: Surface Dive premieres at the Sundance Film Festival
2002: Surface Dive is selected for the Northwest Film and Video Festival and Tour
2002: Surface Dive is screened at the Stuttgart International Festival of Animation in Germany
2002: Surface Dive is screened at the Enzimi Festival in Rome