Over the winter break, the Graphic Design Program and the Office of Global Initiatives at CalArts invited 20 students from Hongik University in Seoul, South Korea, to participate in the fifth Winter Institute Motion Graphics intensive.

The Winter Institute participants created animations using a piece of self-selected music as the foundation, with no other constraints to the brief, which allowed for a wide range of interpretations, some that were rooted in traditional narrative, others that were more abstract and non-linear.

“They were such a great group of students,” Teaching Assistant Noha Khashoggi recalls, “They were so invested and hardworking throughout the process. Part of why the projects turned out so well was because they didn’t let their technical skills define their stories. Some of them had never animated before this experience, but they made some of the most engaging work. And the visiting students were absolutely fun to have around!”

The workshop was overseen by Jay Jang from Hongik, and Michael Worthington at CalArts. The instructors were MFA alumnus Daryn Wakasa, Carsten Becker and William Salas. Below are stills from selected final projects: