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    A Stop-Motion Fairytale and Oracle Deck by Swoon Conjure an Artist’s Magic

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    All images courtesy of Swoon, shared with permission

    A Stop-Motion Fairytale and Oracle Deck by Swoon Conjure an Artist’s Magic

    October 30, 2025

    AnimationArtFilm

    Grace Ebert

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    Caledonia Curry’s story of the Sibylant Sisters starts like many others in the fairytale genre, although it takes just a few words to realize that something is off: “Once upon a swampy ol’ dirt road, two sisters, Caelum and Terra, were growing up under the care of a spindly little witch by the name of Katarina.” The narrative continues with the sorcerous mother beginning to unravel, prompting the siblings to rely on the younger Caelum’s magical powers to survive.

    “This story is drawn from my own childhood growing up at the end of a dirt road with a mother who was in the midst of a psychotic breakdown, and a lifetime spent teasing out the relationship between creativity, intuition, magic, and madness,” the artist says.

    Curry, who’s better known as Swoon (previously), has taken a sort of narrative turn in her practice as of late, translating her interest in family and intergenerational trauma into a sprawling, mythical tale. Seven years in the making, the project is multi-disciplinary and spans sculpture, installation, costume, film, and more. Many of the works can be seen in a four-part read-aloud, and they’ve also spawned an 88-card deck called “The Oracle of the Sibylants,” complete with symbolic imagery distinct to the artist’s practice.

    Included are renderings common in divination, including stars and smoking cauldrons, along with more idiosyncratic objects like a glowing Skee Ball machine and flailing garden hose. “Suffused with joy and tenderness amidst the hardship, these cards speak the language of fairytale, because there are some truths that can only be told by witches and unicorns, ogres and toads,” Swoon adds.

    “The Oracle of the Sibylants” is currently funding on Kickstarter, which features a video glimpsing some of the live-action and animated films to come. Stay up to date with the entire project—which Swoon envisions as a traveling exhibition, films, novella, and theatrical production—on Instagram.

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      An Animated Guide to Using Art to Get in Touch with Your Emotions

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      All images courtesy of Gaia Alari

      An Animated Guide to Using Art to Get in Touch with Your Emotions

      September 30, 2025

      AnimationArtFilm

      Grace Ebert

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      Say you visit a highly anticipated exhibition one Saturday afternoon and find yourself in a crowded gallery, shoulder-to-shoulder with a pack of rabid art goers. As you stealthily maneuver toward your viewing target, an over-stimulated (or, depending on the show, perhaps under-stimulated) child begins to melt down. You suddenly overhear an unreasonably heated conversation about brunch plans. Your heartbeat quickens, and soon, art gallery panic sets in. How do you return to the piece in front of you while also reclaiming your peace of mind?

      A collaborative film by animator Gaia Alari and therapist Emily Price visualizes how art can help us get in tune with our senses and emotions. Paired with Alari’s dynamic drawings, Price guides viewers through an exercise designed to focus our attention even in the most anxious or gloomy of situations. Put your hands on your heart and stomach, she suggests, or imagine yourself protected in a cloche or invisibility cape, allowing yourself to feel calm and safe.

      “How does your body react to art?” is produced by MoMA, which also released a long-form interview with Price that dives into the psychology of a museum visit. For more from Alari, visit Vimeo.

      You also might enjoy a similarly meditative project by Bryana Bibbs, which invites viewers to contribute to a collective weaving as a response to an exhibition about mental health and wellness.

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    • 175 Shares159 Views

      in Art

      Anthony Dickenson’s ‘Mistake’ Transforms into a Unique Animation for a Rival Consoles Music Video

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      All images courtesy of Rival Consoles

      Anthony Dickenson’s ‘Mistake’ Transforms into a Unique Animation for a Rival Consoles Music Video

      July 21, 2025

      AnimationArtFilmMusic

      Kate Mothes

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      For his latest single, “Soft Gradient Beckons,” British electronic musician Ryan Lee West, a.k.a. Rival Consoles, tapped multidisciplinary artist Anthony Dickenson to create a music video that plays with a sense of perception and reality—especially the distinction between analog and digital processes.

      Dickenson employs a range of photography and film processes in his practice, focusing predominantly on nature and portraiture. For the “Soft Gradient Beckons” music video, he dove headlong into a nine-month experimental process, creating multiple, long paper scrolls with hand-painted frames in black ink. He then animated by documenting in a sequence akin to the way film is fed through a projector.

      The video above features the complete music video, followed by a revealing making-of segment that delves into Dickenson’s labor-intensive process.

      His installation “reflects the intricacies and dedication of the creative process,” the artist says in a statement. “The result is both a visual and emotional journey, seamlessly blending art and music into one cohesive experience.” Using cameras attached to a drone and a skateboard, he captures distinct details and patterns while also panning out to see the entire grouping arranged carefully on a warehouse floor.

      The concept originated from what Dickenson calls a “mistake” that occurred when, a few years back, he was experimenting with making monoprints using ink rollers. He had a realization that little blemishes or so-called defects various textures from the roller actually lent themselves well to animation.

      “Sometimes the mistakes are the bits that really reveal new techniques,” Dickenson says. “I love these little moments of imperfection. Otherwise, you know, you might as well just build in AI.” Find more on his website.

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