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Avant-garde Animation Tusalava - 2007 Sound Design by Zhu Tiantian Animation by Len Lye Len Lye (1901-1980) was a New Zealand-born artist known primarily for his experimental films and kinetic sculptures. Tusalava (1929) is his first animation, which consists of roughly 4400 individual static drawings. Each of them was photographed and processed individually, a technique known as cel animation. A popular interpretation of the theme is evolution and primitive life forms. The work shows the influence of modernist abstraction and Lye’s experiences with Maori culture. Tusalava was accompanied in 1929 by live music, but no score has been found. Zhu Tiantian was hugely impressed and interested by the potential for audio creativity. She created four contrasting versions of the soundtrack: musique concrète; noise; concrete and abstract. Each version follows a unique approach in terms of sound design. Here on display is one of the four (and many more unused) versions. |
