Last Seen: Performing Memory through Animated Documentary
The short documentaries Last Seen: Katie Kelly and Last Seen: Alan Nemeth use animation techniques to investigate the performativity of memory in documentary film. Bringing together a group of emerging creators, the films make an innovative contribution to documentary practice by experimenting with computer animation as a way to visualise and contextualise personal memory. Both films were commissioned by the Queensland Eye Institute as part of a multisensory exhibition and performance that paired ten visually impaired Australians with artists, composers and filmmakers to imagine their last seen moments and visual memories through paintings, music and the moving image. Last Seen: Katie Kelly is created in Blender and brings to life the inspiring memories of Katie Kelly's remarkable Paralympics win in Rio 2016. Last Seen: Alan Nemeth captures Alan Nemeth's memories of living with glaucoma, astigmatism and cataracts. The films celebrate the human spirit and showcase lived memories through the creative use of animation in documentary filmmaking.
History
ERA Category
- Recorded/Rendered Creative Work - Film/Video
Eligible major research output?
- Yes
Research Statement
Background: Memories are constantly in progress (Bond et al. 2016), socially constructed (Halbwachs 1992) performances of the past transmitted into the presence (Plate and Smelik 2013). Documentary film, in contrast, emerged from a fascination with “photographical observationalism” (Glynne 2013, 73) and “the indexical qualities inherent in film” (Van Gageldonk et al. 2020, 2), suggesting an ability to capture reality and making it immortal (Doane 2007). The two Last Seen films explore animated documentary to visualize the performativity of memory. How might one use a visual medium to show what cannot be seen? Animation frees the documentary form from its perceived responsibility of photographic realism, foregrounding the performative element of memory. Contribution: The films contribute to research in animated documentary practice, using animation to witness personal memories. Last Seen: Alan Nemeth interweaves interview, observational imagery and simple animation to visually experiment with the idea that Nemeth’s interest in woodwork might manifest memories of his youth and, by metaphorical extension, experiences of personal freedom in adulthood. Last Seen: Katie Kelly witnesses the memories of Katie Kelly OAM PLY and her journey to become Australia's first para-triathlon gold medalist during the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. The animated documentary uses Blender to coalesce Tracie Eaton's painting of Merewether Baths and Katie's memory into a cohesive visual narrative. Significance: Commissioned by the Queensland Eye Institute as part of Last Seen, a multisensory exhibition pairing ten visually impaired Australians with artists, composers and filmmakers, the research challenges audiences to reflect on the role of sight in perceiving the world. Last Seen: Katie Kelly was selected for Cinema Touching Disability, Reflection on Disability in Art, Art Without Limit International Film Festival, AniMate Australia, and nominated for Best ‘Out of the Ordinary’ Diversity & Inclusion Film at the 2023 Port Adelaide Diversity & Inclusion Film Festival. Both films are permanently exhibited on lastseen.com.au and, as part of the Last Seen project, helped the Queensland Eye Institute Foundation raise over AUD100,000 for research on eye-related health.Publisher
Queensland Eye InstitutePlace of publication
BrisbanePublisher URL
Confidential / Culturally sensitive
- No
Copyright notes
© 2023 Nico Meissner. This work is covered by copyright. You must assume that re-use is limited to personal use and that permission from the copyright owner must be obtained for all other uses.References
Bond, L., Craps, S. & Vermeulen, P. (2016). Memory Unbound: Tracing the Dynamics of Memory Studies. New York, NY: Berghahn Books. Halbwachs, M. (1992). On Collective Memory. Edited by Lewis A Coser. The Heritage of Sociology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Plate, L., & Smelik, A. (2013). Performing Memory in Art and Popular Culture. Routledge Research in Cultural and Media Studies. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. Doane, M. A. (2007). The indexical and the concept of medium specificity. Differences, 18(1), 128–152. Van Gageldonk, M., Munteán, L. & Shobeiri, A. (2020). Animation and Memory. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. Glynne, A. (2013). Drawn from life: the animated documentary. Winston, B. (ed). The Documentary Film Book, 73-75. London: BFI.Number of discrete components
2Date of recording
2022Was the work disseminated?
- Yes
Form of dissemination
- Film festival
Scope of dissemination
- International
Did the work go on tour?
- No