NEXUS DIRECTORS CHOSEN TO FEATURE AMONGST SOME OF WORLD’S BEST, FOR PARIS EXHIBITION
Nexus directors Conor Finnegan and Johnny Kelly have been selected to showcase some of their best-loved work as part of an exhibition displaying tactile models and crafted props from some of the most respected animation directors in the world. The exhibition, Motion Factory, les ficelles du monde animé, will be in situ at the prestigious Gaîté lyrique in Paris, starting 24th April and open to the public until 10th August.
An international overview of the world of short films, advertising, music videos, from Korea to Ireland by way of Belgium and the United States, Motion Factory incorporates the work of fifteen guest filmmakers, all invited to exhibit their work by guest curator and celebrated animation director Yves Geleyn. His choice of artists was based on the diversity of their animation techniques which provide an overview of the most innovative and esteemed forms of animation that are creatively possible.
Johnny Kelly will be showcasing work from his Cannes Lions Grand Prix winning Chipotle Back to the Start spot alongside models and sets from his stop motion films for Salvation Army and Het Klokhuis.
Johnny Kelly, Animation Director, says: “I’m honored to be involved – It includes some farmers from Chipotle’s ‘Back to the Start’ and a full-size set from a Salvation Army campaign we finished last year. Far more excitingly however, it also features a plethora of objects created by many international superbrains working in the worlds of short film, advertising and music video. My inner (and outer) fanboy cannot wait to see some of the exhibits, and I think anyone with an interest in process will find it fascinating stuff too.
It’s a lovely opportunity to see how these things look in the painted/carved/knitted flesh – sometimes the most surprising thing is how huge, or how tiny they are in real life. You might watch a piece of animation expecting the puppets to be two foot high and when you then see them in real life they’re the size of a matchbox. Or the other way around. Prepare to be under and over-whelmed!”
Conor Finnegan will be presenting models from his short film Fear of Flying, which has been a huge hit at festivals around the globe. They will present their films, making of’s, stills, and storyboards, as well as models, sets, and figurines in one of the seven ‘factory’ style work stations.
Conor Finnegan, Animation Director, says: “I’m totally honoured to be exhibiting in Paris alongside some of my favourite (and arguably the best) international directors and animators working today. I’m really looking forward to see all the behind the scenes stuff and the models from the shorts and commercials that’ll be on show. I think it’ll be really interesting for people to see the process behind this kind of animation- a lot of it is made so simply yet looks really beautiful when viewed through a lens. Hopefully this exhibition will help dispel some of the mystery behind this kind of work and inspire people to make more.”
For Motion Factory, Other film makers that have been invited include: Peter Sluszka, Jamie Caliri & Alex Juhasz, Sean Pecknold, Andrew Thomas Huang, Hayley Morris, Sumo Science (Will Studd & Ed Patterson), Mikey Please, Joseph Mann, Elliot Dear, Kangmin Kim, Pic Pic André and Emma de Swaef & Marc James Roels.
Alongside the exhibition, Nexus producer Claire Spencer Cook will be presenting Stop. Look. Listen. an international selection of award winning short films, music-driven moving picture and rarely seen graphic experiments, with an emphasis on new talent, innovative storytelling and original style. The exhibition will take place in the Foyer Moderne space at Gaîté lyrique during the run of Motion Factory. Work showcased for Stop. Look. Listen includes; Zeitguised: Comme des Organismes, Nudeness and Birds (premiere), Johnny Kelly: Seed, The Glue Society: Misfits, Chris Gavin: Txt Island, George Wu: A Style Called (Cryin Chic), Kijeck/Adamski: Katachi, Conor Finnegan: Fear of Flying.
More information about Motion Factory:
http://www.gaite-lyrique.net/en/node/6058
More information on Stop. Look. Listen:
http://www.gaite-lyrique.net/en/projection/stop-look-listen
About Johnny Kelly:
Johnny Kelly is a director and master of design, working across various disciplines including stop frame and 2D animation, graphic design and illustration.
Johnny worked at two of Ireland’s leading graphic design studios before completing an MA in Animation at The Royal College of Art in London where he was awarded the Conran Foundation Award by the Provost, Sir Terence Conran. His graduation short film, Procrastination, has been screened at over one hundred and seventy film festivals around the world.
Through his commercial practice and as a director at Nexus, he has worked with clients such as Adobe, BMW, the International Olympic Committee and Vitra, in addition to multiple cross-platform projects with Google. In 2012 his two-minute film for Chipotle won two Grand Prix awards at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
About Conor Finnegan:
Conor studied animation at the IADT’s National Film School. After graduating he has gone on to win numerous awards with his short film ‘Fear of Flying’, including Best Animation at both Galway Film Fleadh in Ireland and the LA Shorts Festival in the US, and most recently being selected in the Academy Awards’ long list for 2013’s Best Animated Short.
About Nexus:
Nexus is an independent production company and animation studio based in London with a worldwide reputation for creative storytelling across a range of media.
Nexus is dedicated to the development of unique voices in filmmaking, with a roster of directing talent working with multi-disciplinary skills in animation, live-action and interactive media. The studio’s production, animation, post-production staff and facilities support them, with Nexus being a home for the people and the technology to create some of the most innovative work in entertainment and branded content.
Jake is a Researcher and Interactive developer at Wonky Films and the face behind all of Show Me The Animation’s online platforms and website. So if it breaks he’s probably to blame! Aside from running the SMTA online, Jake make’s interactive things for Wonky Films.
