Grace Brennan
Tactility and Tacit Knowledge in Animation Practices

This thesis/case study led research interrogates modes of animation practice to discover the visible evidence of the relationship between the animator’s body and the production. Taking a lense towards direct-to-reel animation practices and digital animation techniques to identify a possible discourse between technological tools and embodied knowledge practice. The author engages and deconstructs her own animation practice to identify her bodily position within animated work , and to further document possible techniques and modes of tacit creation within animation practices.

The animator’s body is not just limited to the physical , the individual subjectivity of the animator is also a necessary element of animation creation. This is evident through the rise of “experimental” animation techniques that prioritise the animator's intention , over that of a collective voice in animation studio production . This project looks to understand possible constraints of autonomous subjectivity of the animator when using some digital tools due to lack of tactile feedback and working with multiple animators in one production. The research that presented itself in a thesis format concentrates on removing the digital tools in favour of handmade craft in a pandemic environment in order to understand how the animator’s body works in relation to the translation of embodied knowledge on an individual level.