History of Experimental Animation

This thematically organized trip through the
history of experimental animation will look at
work from pre-cinema to the present day, with an
eye towards connecting disparate time periods,
traditions, and techniques by finding and
exploring some common threads. In our class
attempt to define what "experimental animation"
is, we will arrive at a more complex
understanding of the concept of animation itself.
By the end of the semester, students will have
been exposed to a radically diverse selection of
work, and ideally come away from the experience
with a rich, impressionistic understanding of the
history, scope, and possibilities in experimental
animation. Each class session will include
screenings of multiple works, as well as
contextualizing and supplemental information.
Discussion will be greatly encouraged in class.