Petals in Motion: A Stop Motion Animation Workshop with Cristal Buemi

Through a meditative and mindful approach, this workshop focuses on natural materials like leaves, flowers, stems etc. to create unique stop motion animations. Inspired by our grounding connection to the land, participants are asked to reflect on this important relationship and how it relates to storytelling and artistic exploration.

Then, participants will be led through the frame by frame creative and technical process of how to bring their ideas to life. Including: how to prepare organic materials, animate in Stop Motion Studio - a free and accessible stop motion animation software, and how to utilize light to highlight the various tonal values and unique details found in organic objects.

In the end, participants will have their very own animated sequences and have a better understanding of what this playful and experimental approach has to offer.

All creators are welcomed as this is an introductory course. The workshop ends with a screening of all the work created.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Participants must bring a smartphone or tablet with this free Stop Motion Studio app installed: https://www.stopmotionstudio.com/

About the Facilitator

Cristal Buemi is a Puerto Rican-Canadian, award-winning multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, and educator. Her work pushes the boundaries of frame-by-frame animation by exploring the diaspora through land and its relationship to the body, materiality, and the inherent beauty found in the minutiae. Through a mindful, feminist, experimental, and ecological lens, Cristal focuses on abstract storytelling, sustainability, and texture.

Her independent and collaborative works have been exhibited internationally at venues and festivals including Dawson City Film Festival, Sankofa Square, Planet in Focus Film Festival, Les Sommets du Cinéma d'Animation, Animac, Anifilm, Harbourfront Centre, Fashion Art Toronto, and Cardiff Animation Nights, and have been broadcast on AMC, MTV, Bell Media, and HBO.

Cristal currently leads material-based animation workshops internationally and teaches as an adjunct faculty member in the Experimental Animation program at OCAD University and in Design at York University. She is also one half of the visual artist duo anivides with Francisca Duran and co-leads Frame by Frame, a research initiative focused on accessibility in animation and art making.

Websites: https://www.cristalbuemi.com/ • https://www.anivides.com/
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/cbuemi
Instagram: @cristalclear_ • @anivides_art