Norman McLaren, the creative mind

Norman McLaren's place in the history of animation is that of a pioneer of technique. Transcripts of interviews with him later in life bring the reader in touch with a shy sensitive, multi sensory man who saw the world in a very unique way. He was deeply affected by the world around him and his films respond to that world . My interest is in examining the man behind the films.

Just as the architect's work has no meaning if you do not look at the space it encloses, we as humans would not be alive if not for the spaces between our heartbeats or our breathing in and out. As a choreographer I am interested in the spaces between things also. the interim between one pose and another is filled with movement and the choreographer's task is to find a unique way to make that transition. This seems akin to the animator's art. What lies in the mind of the creative artist between idea and realisation also holds great fascination for me.(As does the space between the performance and the audience interpretation and reaction).

McLaren also discussed the space between. In his own words;

Animation is not the art of drawings that move but the art
of movements that are drawn.What happens between each
frame is more important than what exists on each frame.
Animation is therefore the art of manipulating the
invisible interstices that lie between the frames
( Collins 1976)

As a dancer the appearance of stillness is difficult to to achieve without extreme discipline. It is intersting that McLaren subjected himself to sucha test of discipline (in his field) in making 'lines vertical' and 'lines horizontal' (Furniss 2007).

McLaren's sensitivity and acute awareness of movement, stillness, dance and music makes his work unique. Maynard Collins' book on Norman McLaren does give great insight into McLaren the man(1976). Maureen Furniss examines the context in which McLaren's work now sits in 'Art in Motion, Animation Aesthetics (2007).

A dancer can never achieve total stillness.Every muscle will be twitching to keep balance, your heart and lungs still performing their essential movements.Animators recognise this and manage to achieve that constant
'flicker'in the shift from one frame to the next.

Stanislavsky suggested stillness is the ultimate movement skill.

(to be continued!)