Composer Moira Smiley presented the music video for her song Haiku, coinciding with World Social Justice Day. The animated piece, directed by artist Christine Banna, illustrates a poem that contrasts beauty and suffering. Banna applied a meticulous artisanal process, hand-coloring each frame to keep the texture and brushstroke visible.
Analog Animation as Resistance to Digital Workflow ✋
In an environment dominated by interpolation and fast rendering software, Banna's method represents a distinct technical approach. By painting each frame manually, the imperfection and tactile quality of watercolor and ink are preserved. This process, which generates an animation with organic texture and visible strokes, aligns with the song's thematic dissonance. The technique becomes part of the message, prioritizing analog artistic expression over digital efficiency.
A Quick Tutorial to Ruin Your Eyesight and Mental Health 😵
For those seeking a relaxing project, Banna offers a masterclass: choose a theme about global injustice, paint hundreds of individual watercolors, and then meticulously color each frame one by one, while reflecting on the abuse of power. The result is a visually powerful meditation, and a reminder that sometimes the creative process is not cathartic, but leaves you contemplating the darkness with tired eyes and a brush in hand. That said, the final product has more soul than a one-click render.