Chado: Dreaming in Texture – a Journey from Print to Animation

6th August - 5th September 2021 11:00 am to 4:30 pm

At the centre of Dominica Harrison’s solo exhibition is the presentation of the experimental animation, Chado, which combines digital animation and Risograph prints to transform a coming of age tale set in a Russian wilderness into an enchanting short film. The prints produced by the artist will be displayed alongside the film, together with sketchbooks and character design work, to reveal the processes behind making the work. 

The idea for Chado started developing a few years after the artist moved to the UK from Moscow, where she was born. Beginning with memories, the genesis led to deep reflection on childhood experience and the cultural traits of the place the artist grew up in. 

The world of the film is inspired by long hot summer months spent at the artist’s grandparent’s dacha (summer house) in the remote countryside in Russia. A place where friendships, games and rituals develop and are returned to each summer. These calm summer months were often the backdrop for the most insightful, shocking and educational moments the artist experienced in childhood.

A combination of Risograph and solar plate prints of characters and sequences were created by the artist for the film, during residencies at Club Del Prado in Buenos Aires and at neo:studios and the University of Bolton. Combining printmaking and animation techniques has been a method employed by the artist, since crafting her graduation film Illusions at the Edinburgh College of Art in 2016. 

The printed elements in Chado convey the dissonance between the inner emotional world of the Child character and reality. Dominica Harrison said:

I incorporated Risograph printmaking, as this technique creates its own slight movement in the texture which brings the animation to life in an unusual way. The ink overlays in printing create a distinctive look with a minimal amount of colour and the paper grain from the scans of the prints adds a hand-made feel to the film. It was important to me to implement this technique as I wanted the film to have a physical presence, not just result in a collection of pixels on the screen. For me animation lies somewhere between fine art and cinematography. I always enjoy the creativity of making and the possibilities that the medium brings.