Design with Movement

at Aalto University

Lecture 4: Project development (2) Storytelling

Lecture 3 and 4 will be a gateway to your own project development by bridging the previous learning with projects with specific themes: drawing and storytelling. By trying out small-scale projects with the context and examples given, inspiration for future work can be drawn. 

  1. Storytelling with linkages
  2. Project examples
  3. Mimicking behaviors
  4. Read/watch
  5. Exercises
  6. Slides

Storytelling with linkages

Mechanical movement has been used in puppeteering since ancient times. Actually, the movements of human beings, animals and some familiar objects in everyday life are based on the linkage mechanism or can be mimicked by it. The most typical example is cartoonish kinetic sculpture, automata.

Tim Hunkin’s Tinkerer’s clock at the Exploratorium (US)

Puppets and mechanical characters

Linkage mechanisms were often used to animate puppets and replicas of humans or animals for entertainment. Recently, there is also research that tries to develop computer-aided design applications for linkage-based mechanical characters.

An Indonesian shadow puppet. Image source: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/52901
Computational Design of Mechanical Characters by Disney Research

Automata

An Automaton is a self-operating machine, or a machine or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a predetermined sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions (Wikipedia). While there are varied types of automata, today the term often refers to a hand-cranked toy with a humorous story, which may be called an animated cartoon. The most well-known collection is Cabaret Mechanical Theatre in the UK.

A video archive from an exhibition, Mechanics Alive!!! organised by Cabaret Mechanical Theatre at the Scotland Street Museum in Glasgow.

Tableau animé

Tableau Animé is a kind of flat automaton, an animated painting or cartoon.

The Mechanical Cartoon: Ooongsung Oongsung was inspired by Tableau Animé. Image Courtesy: Eun Young Park

Kinetic sculpture

The previous examples don’t mean that the outcome needs to be based on specific characters or stories. Abstract shapes and their choreography produce purely aesthetic sensations.

Willem Van Weeghel, 2007-2010, Dynamic Structure 29117

Humans and animals

Linkages are often used to mimic the movement of humans and animals. Leg mechanisms are one of the most popular examples among others.

Jansen’s linkage is a leg mechanism that artist Theo Jansen used to generate a smooth walking motion.

Objects in our everyday life

Not only living things, everyday objects use linkages as well. Examples include a lamp arm, a scissor lift, a foldable wine rack and more.

A scissor lift uses a namesake scissor linkage.

Read/Watch

Exercises

  • Make an one-frame mechanical cartoon.
  • Submit a photo or a video of your outcome with a brief explanation.