We were extremely thrilled to have animator, designer, and performer, Miwa Matreyek back at CalArts for a motion practicum class this winter. Miwa, who received her MFA in Experimental Animation at CalArts as well as a degree in Integrated Media, led a group of students from varying disciplines in exploring storytelling through animation and performance.

In the workshop we explored concepts related to materials, illusions, space, lighting, the body, and perceptual distortion. Through experimenting with front and rear projection onto different surfaces like scrim, ice, and dry-ice, and playing with animating in real time using a live-cam, we asked the question, how do different narratives emerge when we alter the conditions of the space? The workshop was just as much work as it was play as we made new discoveries as a group on motion in storytelling.