Travelling Home
After my Artist in Residency (AIR) in 2020 I was invited to take part in an AIR at the nearby Chris O'Brien Lifehouse cancer treatment centre in 2021.
Once again I took inspiration from artworks the patients had made; drawings of sea shells in pastel on paper. And once again, COVID lockdowns prevented the in-person component of the residency.
Travelling Home is about how as we move through life we gain a sense of 'home' from our surroundings and connections. As our concept of 'home' evolves, the old homes feel incomplete, yet they live on within us wherever we go. They could be colours, feelings, sounds, people or objects. Having pieces of home with us physically or as a memory gives us comfort in the unfamiliar.
Usually I would design each frame completely before starting animation, but in this case I flipped the process around. I animated the crab first, then built the environment around it. This meant I could play with colours and shapes and uncover the feel of the artwork as I went along, inviting discovery and accident. This organic, experimental approach was really fun!
Travelling Home is on permanent display on the ground floor of Chris O'Brien Lifehouse in Sydney.
Making of Travelling Home