Angela Zawitaj

Synopsis

Forbidden Fungi is a project which focuses on two characters who are different kinds of mushrooms and are forbidden to interact with one another, however the love of their pets brings them closer and builds the foundation of their relationship.

The story created for the project is aimed to be the basis for a short stop motion animation and the project centres around the process of creating the two characters.

Through digital concept art and clay sculpture, the characters are brought to life in order to help visualise what the puppets would look like if the film was to be created. Combining aspects and properties of digital and physical animation, the project showcases how the final puppets would be created.

Project info

Developer Angela Zawitaj
Showcase year 2020
Programme Computer Arts

Forbidden Fungi

A project combining the physical world with digital through the creation of concept art for modern stop motion puppets.

Motivation

When I was little, I used to grab plasticine, sit in a corner of a room and model characters then create stories for them. This project was basically that. Aardman studios have been a huge inspiration to me over the years, and I’ve always been intrigued of how they create their movies and if I would ever be able to do something like them.

Then came Laika studios, the perfect combination between the digital and physical worlds. They create stop motion movies with assistance of 3D printing. Which means sculpting characters digitally and ending up with physical copies in your hands. That was the selling point for me, there’s something super exciting about that!