Chado: Dreaming in Texture – a journey from print to animation
We are delighted to present artist Dominica Harrison’s solo exhibition, Chado: Dreaming in Texture at Leicester Print Workshop from 12 September to 7 November.
At the centre of the exhibition is the presentation of the experimental animation, Chado, which combines digital animation and Risograph prints to transform a coming of age tale set in a Russian wilderness into an enchanting short film. The prints produced by the artist will be displayed alongside the film, together with sketchbooks and character design work, to reveal the processes behind making the work.
The idea for Chado (Child in Russian) started developing a few years after the artist moved to the UK from Moscow, where she was born. Beginning with memories, the genesis led to deep reflection on childhood experience and the cultural traits of the place the artist grew up in.
The world of the film is inspired by long hot summer months spent at the artist’s grandparent’s dacha (summer house) in the remote countryside in Russia. A place where friendships, games and rituals develop and are returned to each summer. These calm summer months were often the backdrop for the most insightful, shocking and educational moments the artist experienced in childhood.
A combination of Risograph and solar plate prints of characters and sequences were created by the artist for the film, during residencies at Club Del Prado in Buenos Aires and at neo:studios and the University of Bolton. Combining printmaking and animation techniques has been a method employed by the artist, since crafting her graduation film Illusions at the Edinburgh College of Art in 2016.
The printed elements in Chado convey the dissonance between the inner emotional world of the Child character and reality. Dominica Harrison said:
I incorporated Risograph printmaking, as this technique creates its own slight movement in the texture which brings the animation to life in an unusual way. The ink overlays in printing create a distinctive look with a minimal amount of colour and the paper grain from the scans of the prints adds a hand-made feel to the film. It was important to me to implement this technique as I wanted the film to have a physical presence, not just result in a collection of pixels on the screen. For me animation lies somewhere between fine art and cinematography. I always enjoy the creativity of making and the possibilities that the medium brings.
Access to the exhibition is by appointment only during Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-4pm – to book your time slot please email k.kneller@leicesterprintworkshop.com. There will be an accompanying artist’s talk held online on Wednesday 30 September, 2pm.
The exhibition is due to tour to Bath Artists’ Studios in Spring 2021, and some of the artworks from the exhibition will be presented in the group show the Paper Festival in Manchester around the same time.
The animation Chado premiered at the 18th International Animation Festival in Japan – HIROSHIMA 2020 and won Second Prize at the 19th International Kansk Video Festival. Other upcoming competition screenings include DC Shorts Film Festival, Animatou International Animation Film Festival, Festival of Animation Berlin and VIDEOQUEER 2020 – Florence Queer Festival.
Chado: Dreaming in Texture is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
The animation, Chado, is produced by Animate Projects and Dominica Harrison, co-produced with Blind Pig, and is supported by the BFI NETWORK, awarding funds from the National Lottery.
