Animation as Art: A Multi-Sensory Experience Exhibit 2024

Mockingbird Family Portrait

Mockingbird Family Portrait | December 2023
Wall installation with flipbook boxes. Hand activated
3x3 in. cardboard boxes, polymer clay, acrylic paint, flipbookit, frames drawn in Procreate, 3D printing. The backdrop was created in Adobe Illustrator and printed out as stickers to attach to the wall.

This project aims to show a snapshot in the life of a family of mockingbirds, the state bird of Texas. In this snapshot, we see a mother bird stretching her wings as she looks for food for her babies who are so close to hatching. Under the cover of their tree’s branches, a caterpillar hides from the prying eyes of the mother.
A lovely family portrait!
The body of the mother bird is sculpted to incorporate some of my love of working with clay. I wanted to incorporate some of my culture by taking inspiration from mehndi/henna designs for the backdrop. Finally, the flipbook boxes give a level of interactivity to the whole piece.

Animation is an incredibly versatile tool in art. Movement can add new sensations and feelings and life to still pieces. The ever-growing tools and accessibility of animation provides many avenues to pushing the limitations and understanding of art very far ahead.

The ever-growing tools and accessibility of animation provides many avenues to pushing the limitations and understanding of art quote symbol

Zarah Najmi
Nationality: American
University of Texas at Dallas

I am an aspiring 3D modeling and VFX artist who recently graduated from the Bass School at the University of Texas at Dallas. While my interests fall more towards VFX, I enjoy diving into experimental forms of animation too. It’s exciting to explore how far animation can be pushed as an art form.