Forests of the Sea
Forests of the Sea - the animation - was created by Lynchpin's Arts/Ocean Science Scholarship Program to illustrate some of the changes being observed in Tasmania's marine ecosystems. The stop-motion animation was screened at the launch of Redmap Australia in December 2012.
Forests of the Sea, the animation, illustrates some of the changes in Tasmania's marine ecosystems using the technique of stop-motion. The animation was the brainchild of Dutch artist Malou Zuidema, with science support from marine science PhD candidates Jorge Ramos and Felipe Briceno. Redmap was a sponsor of the project. Watch the animation below.
Sue Anderson, Lynchpin Program Coordinator, explains the rationale for the animation.
Story telling is an ancient art – it has been part of our communities since time immemorial. What is the role of story telling in our present time?
Science holds stories of great significance for us all: but they can be locked in the world of science with its own particular science language.
The Lynchpin program explores ways to introduce ocean science to the community through the arts to try to:
- work in solidarity with the reputable science;
- engage public attention in quirky new ways;
- create narratives that draw people in and prompt them to explore further.
Forests of the Sea, the stop-motion animation, aims to give an overview of a local science story: a visual narrative with simple and short word cues to aide the story-line.
It has been a challenge for the scientists to express their science in ‘simple terms’ – in ways that could first be grasped by the artist, who then visually translated and animated the data into a storyline.
The science is intense and precise.
The art of stop-motion animation is intense and precise: not only are the characters and the world we see on the screen hand painted, but every move is hand made, photographed and collated into the flowing form we see: over 4,000 shots taken!
REMEMBER THIS as you dive with us into the waters off the East Coast of Tasmania through the Lynchpin stop-motion animation!
The international stop-motion team: UTas marine science PhD Candidates: Felipe Briceno from Chile (L) and Jorge Ramos from Mexico (R), with Dutch artist Malou Zuidema. The animation was screened at the launch of Redmap Australia in December 2012.
