Stop Motion Animation

This work is about simulating emotion and life through inanimate objects, using an old medium known as stop motion animation in non-vocal narrative. This cinematographic technique involves the repetition of an object being moved by millimetre differences, for which each time a camera photographs the moment to give the inanimate figure the impression of movement.

The Odyssey, a six-minute animated short film, consists of around 6,500 photographs which simulate the life of an adventure-seeking anthropomorphic turtle. To create ambiance and emotion the adventure takes place in eight different miniature sets which I purposely built in order to carry the narrative forwards.

Project built by Maria Isabella Grech, Christian Micallef and Ezekiel Vassallo Verdala Sculpture Garden The life-size stag sculpture made of intertwined wire was greatly influenced by the historic location, being the Verdala Palace and its garden. This was so, as the Verdala gardens were before linked to the Buskett gardens where game-hunting took place. The sculpture’s subject depicts a tangled stag, which has just gotten itself caught in a waiting trap. While the entrapped stag may still harmoniously blend in with the natural setting due to it being a wild beast, the spectator may also read the juxtaposing intrusion of humans, due to the stag’s evident plight in trying to survive by attempting to escape danger.

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At Verdala Palace Gardens, the summer residence of the President of Malta.

Miniature Model Sets

We live in a world of confusion to an extent where we are not sure whether what we are seeing is true or not. More disturbingly, we seem to accept this deception and feel comfortable about it.  I intend to make the viewer aware of what is being thrown at him on a daily basis and to help him/her distinguish between reality and illusion.Considering that we are frequently surrounded by digital media, I aim to create awareness of how digital media can easily deceive us.

My intention is to create an illusion by providing the viewer with a digital photograph, fooling the them into thinking that the actual digital image is that of a real interior space, when in fact it is photographed from a 3D miniature scale model.  The digital photograph is the medium that delivers the illusion, however the miniature model is the material that creates it.

Left Alone? Debate

At The Fortress Builders Fortifications Interpretation Centre. 29th October 2013. This interactive installation consists of a life cast bust, made out of plaster of Paris, representing the outer shell of an unknown person but containing the real identity inside. The bust is covered with several writings of actual events that an immigrant experienced. However the writings are only visible under a UV light at a closer range. We should never judge others, as one need to get closer to know a person and his/her actions.  

This installation exhibit a vault which holds an abstract representation form of a tumour.  The metallic spheres symbolise body cells and the black substance as the tumour. By pressing the Pushbutton switch the tumour becomes active, and dominate the other cells.This performance is achieved by an electromagnet and magnetic fluid (ferrofluid).