Now in its seventh year, Manipulate – a veritable feast of animation and visual theatre – is set to return to to Edinburgh from Friday 31st January – Saturday 8th February.
Representing an impressive range of collaborations, Manipulate will see Traverse Theatre, Summerhall, Norwich Puppet Theatre and Aberdeen’s The Lemon Tree work together once again for the first week of February, with films and performances showing across all three venues, though Edinburgh is the only city where all the works will be on display.
Featuring a mixture of hypnotic animation, live puppetry and physical theatre, the festival continues to pull in an impressive selection of international talent. Artists in the approaching festival hail from countries including Austria, the Netherlands, the USA and Russia, with many showcasing European or World premières of their work. 2014 will also see legendary Estonian artist Priit Pärn introduce a short programme of his films, followed by a live audience Q & A.
There will also be a workshop on the power of puppetry, for those wishing to get further under the skin of the creative process. Participants will get the chance to create and develop scenes for themselves, all under the watchful eye and guidance of Neville Tranter, a puppeteer whose previous show, Schikelgruber, featured in last year’s programme.
However, Scottish artists are not without representation. Along with the opportunity to view a showcase of work from the Edinburgh College of Art and the world première screening of Torn; the latest feature from Scotland’s Faux Theatre, Manipulate are once again presenting ‘Snapshots’, a segment they describe as ‘a day-long celebration of the work of Scottish animators.’
Ross Hogg, a recent graduate from the Glasgow School of Art, is having his latest film, Spectators, screened as part of this selection. Though only 4 minutes in length, nearly 3000 drawings were required in order to complete the footage, all of which feature heavy charcoal lines with a watercolour wash over the top. The effect in the finished film is one of constant flickering movement – figures are rarely wholly still, even when at rest.
This effect proves very suitable for the subject matter. Described by Hogg as an “observational animation”, Spectators centres on a Saturday football crowd, and makes those watching the focus of the film, rather than events happening on the terraces. Referring to it as an inverted match, Hogg notes that “instead of watching the game, you’re watching the people watching the sport and it’s really [about] how they interact with each other.” He finds the ebb and flow of characters fascinating, and feels that the animated style helps keep the tone of “vibrancy within the stands.”
Hogg has been going to football matches all his life and has drawn on favourite stadiums for inspiration. “There’s something about the smaller grounds… [there’s one, and ] it’s got a row of terraced houses right on the corner, so the stand comes up halfway and stops because these houses are there. So you’re sitting in the stand and you can see people washing their dishes, watching the match…I love those sort of wee oddities and strange things. You don’t see any other sport through these individual interactions. You can get a sense of who’s enjoying it and who’s winning, and who’s deflated.”
Hogg has had previous success with his first film, an adaptation of The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, which was screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and also nominated for a Scottish BAFTA. And with such a wealth of talent on display from him and all the other artists, you’d be advised to book your tickets as soon as possible.
For more information about Manipulate please click here and for the full programme of events please click here