Jodie Mack is an experimental animator whose colorful films have screened all over the world. The "subjects" of her films are often discarded materials such as fabrics, posters, photo negatives, scraps of paper and other overlooked, everyday objects. Her films are infused with humor and energy, and her practice involves hours of labor and thousands of still images captured on a vintage Bolex camera. Her background in theater evolved into writing and singing her own film soundtracks, which she sometimes performs live at screenings.
In this episode of Art School, tag along with Mack as she works on a new project in San Francisco. Inspired by a recent trip to Mexico, her new film features bright Oaxacan fabrics placed within landscapes and domestic scenes. She also introduces some pioneers of abstract animation and gives an overview of her techniques and past work. Mack's films have screened internationally at festivals and she is a professor at Dartmouth college.