Choreographing Time: Developing a System of Screen-less Animation Carol MacGillivray (
[email protected]) Thesis Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of London for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy © Carol MacGillivray 17/3/2014 Choreographing time: Developing a system of screen-less animation, March 2014 DECLARATION I hereby declare that except where explicit attribution is made, the work presented in the thesis is entirely my own, including all diagrams and pictures. Carol MacGillivray March 2014 i Choreographing time: Developing a system of screen-less animation, March 2014 ABSTRACT The Diasynchronoscope is an experimental medium that draws on tropes from animation, film and Gestalt grouping principles to create the perception of screen-less apparent motion. Each developing artwork reveals more formalisms and boundaries inherent to the medium. Through documentation and discussion of selected artistic case studies this research interrogates the Diasynchronoscope as an emergent new medium. Formalisms are developed through studio practice and tested in exhibited artworks. The results of these evolving interactions are observed and contextualised using existing frameworks from Film Studies and Psychology. Inside the Diasynchronoscope static objects are grouped according to Gestalt laws and animation principles to create sequential visual cues that, when lit with projected light, demand selective attention; thus creating the illusion of animated movement. The animation is immersive, sharing the same space as the observer so that they perceive a continuous flow of movement that resembles, at a physiological level, interaction with a real-life moving object. The technique has been named the ‘diasynchronic’ technique and the system; the ‘Diasynchronoscope’.