More than seven years in the making, Beech’s hand-drawn animation sits at the heart of the exhibition. Inspired by elements of Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness and Ben Jonson’s Jacobean play The Masque of Blackness, it explores the spirit of place to take the visitor on a journey from West Africa to the Thames. The film features an original musical score by Esben Tjalve and choreography by Julia Gillespie to evoke a sense of place and spirit in the busy heart of London.
Accompanying the 12-minute film will be an extensive series of drawings and preparatory sketches of varying scale, detailing the journey of the painstakingly created animation. Beech meticulously hand draws the animations in charcoal on paper using a palimpsest technique – where images are created in pencil, partially erased and then redrawn repeatedly to create a multi-layered effect. To create just one second of animation requires 25 drawings, demonstrating the Herculean nature of this project.
Outdoor Screenings at the National Theatre Flytower (27 - 29 September, 8 pm – 11 pm ) as part of Totally Thames 2018, click here for more information.
