http://convergencedivergence.blogspot.com/

I have noticed the theories of “the uncanny” in my own work, due to the difference of reception between two animated puppets I have created. On one hand the dragon-like puppet provokes a positive response from an audience, whereas the vaguely human one evokes a sense of repulsion or fear, because of its vague likeness to a human face and body shape. It becomes jarring for us to look at because of the confusion in conceptual codes: a toy figure- harmless, something associated with children, games and innocence, yet these codes do not add up to the feeling of discomfort the figure invokes. Even though it is clear that these models are toys and not “realistic” beings, they still use the codes of a living being such as responding to gravity and being receptive like a living being. My animation touches upon the concept of hyperreality; these characters, despite being existing object in the real world, (toys) have become animated inanimate objects. Because of my animation being a stop motion and having enough elements in it to distance it from become too “real,” it disperses the sense of the “Uncanny.” I further confuse the codes of narrative by twisting the assumption of an uncanny character being an antagonist. Oliver Postgate, creator of stop motion cartoon “The Clangers” (1969) uses techniques of mime and sound to engage a younger audience as well as an older one. Michael Rosen (2010) quotes: “You’re leaving a space for a child to do the interpreting.” This way, the cartoon becomes active television- leaving a child to interpret the story by omitting “real” dialogue, and in the case my animation, omitting any dialogue at all, and leaving the story open to interpretation on different levels. A child will grasp the concept of the two characters on screen and some of the convergence concept, whereas an adult will be able to decipher the language codes underneath in breadth.

This recording is to be used only for non-commercial educational purposes under the terms of an ERA Licence. For terms of use and to find and record more programmes please visit BoB National.