Connections through narrative

WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Kyle Patrick Kelsey (Creator)
Institution
Western Carolina University (WCU )
Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/
Advisor
Tom Ashcraft

Abstract: The need for narrative is the foundation of my work. Throughout human history people are brought together by narrative. In a way, the human mind needs narrative like the body needs food or water. People gather for the shared need and love for food, so do people gather for film or theater as well as other forms of storytelling. We share our experiences with others when we get together or through social media posts. For many of us, information is easier to process and understand when it comes in the form of narrative. Narratives not only entertain us but also facilitate learning opportunities and personal development. Even when we sleep and dream, we involuntarily develop imagined scenarios, like the way we breath without thinking about it. I have constructed a narrative through model making and animation. The content of this narrative is an assemblage of elements collected from dreams and memory. The process of combining these elements is achieved through stream of consciousness producing surfaces and textures, movements of model protagonists and juxtaposition of images. Much of the material used to build the models is scrap material that I have collected, such as wood, paper, and foam. These models serve as sets for simple stop motion animations and are combined with digital animation, live action video, photographs, and original music to create a surreal narrative. The work explores how narrative contributes to our quality of life and why that is important.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 2022
Subjects
Storytelling
Models and modelmaking
Animation
Surrealism

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