Kathy Smith

"My work is an attempt to convey the mystery of existence through the non-linear narrative of dreams and gesture. I am fascinated with the human experience and how this is processed through our physical senses and interpreted via the neurological pathways in the brain, what images are retained and what narratives are formed during our conscious and unconscious moments.
Artistically I am concerned with the universal symbolism of dream landscapes and the relationship of the human psyche to the environment regardless of its physical location or form. I am interested in cognition and how we perceive based upon our own set of experiences and emotions. Structurally I am interested in the infinite possibilities of any one moment, the inner experience of time running simultaneously with the concurrent or divergent time of outer happenings.

"Delirium" - Animation DVD
Click Here to Read About The Making of "Delirium"

On a conceptual level the themes that have always inspired me are still the ones I am driven by today. Technically however there have been huge changes in the way I create my work. In 1996 I was able to obtain access to high-end 3D software and start truly experimenting with the technology to realize a work. With Indefinable Moods completed in 2001, I chose to work with 3D software as it allowed me to collapse, reconstruct, and journey through a landscape of symbolic narrative.

I approached the 3D environment as I did my painting, where symbolic narrative is not represented in a linear cause-and-effect mode. The computer environment allowed me to work in a gallery-like space. I could process and join elements of symbols and painting and then manipulate these images to a much greater degree than if I were only working on a two-dimensional surface. This was also reflected in the sound design. I purposely threw rhythms and timing out of beat to disorient the viewer and to reflect the imagery’s constant collapse and reconstruction. I used Dolby Digital 5.1 SRD to create a physical sound-space and further enhance the shifts in mood by locating sounds around the theater. The breakthrough in 3D technology, digital sound, and media has extended the boundaries for my expression through animation and given me a more complete format to convey my ideas.

All of my films even the digital works are derived from physical organic media. Structuring through images is the starting point for all my work and sound. For me, images represent emotional experiences that move us in a powerful and visceral way and although an entire symbolic narrative exists in one painting alone, this landscape is not always adequately represented in a linear cause-and-effect mode. Perhaps this is why the best starting point to map intense experiences is to add the elements of sound and movement to static images. Originally as a painter I was always interested in communicating more than just a static image. The mental and conceptual process of painting is something that I have always tried to convey through the exhibition format itself. When exhibiting my work in an installation, I incorporate sound into the exhibition space; additionally, I construct collage maps to show how the images evolved and fitted together sequentially. The discovery of animation was a revelation for me: for the first time I could convey the internal thought processes of painting and drawing through a temporal medium.

On its own, painting can define a concept by composition, color, and layering. What has always fascinated me about animation is its potential to capture or provoke a thought via kinetic energy and sound. Animation, by its very nature, adds another dimension to painting by adding temporal, spatial, and aural movement and space to static images. Constantly moving, animation allows the viewer to become part of an artwork’s creation. The brushstrokes, shapes, and ideas are seen, passed by, and arrived at, - an animated film concretizes the thought process that creates a static work by incorporating the physical senses of movement and sound.

After years of hand creating these works I learned a way to combine and re-use my painting and drawing in a collage and re-arrangement process that I would then draw out into image-movements. My image-movements differ from storyboards in that the sequential movement or narrative is not driven by a descriptive text or storyline, but by the images themselves (see book). The arrangement of visual elements flowing into, or connecting with, new images presents surprising, dream-like narratives. After creating the image movement, I then describe the visual detail in writing. I also describe the individual sounds that may accompany the images at this point; this allows me to design and develop a soundtrack that in turn determines the animation’s timing.

Click Here to Read About The Making of "Indefinable Moods"

I am inspired by the potential for conveying a metaphysical experience through the media of animation, installation, and sound. I truly believe the art form of animation developed as a way to reflect our own physical and mental evolutionary process. The infinite connection to everything in existence is the underlying force that makes animation a powerful medium for conveying complex ideas, dreams and emotions."

-Kathy Smith