I went to AIGA’s Move3 conference on motion graphics this past Friday and Saturday, and I would like to share some of the terrific stuff that I experienced there.

Move3’s overarching theme was inspiration and influence. The conference examined the sources of its speakers’ influences and explored the process of inspiration and influence. Moderator Peter Hall discussed the idea that artists have often struggled against an “anxiety of influence.� There is sometimes an underlying misconception about creativity: great ideas are simply plucked from nowhere. An idea cannot be truly great unless it is completely original, conjured solely from the artists’ brain. This reverence of absolute originality is unfortunate, since we do not exist in a vacuum. We are constantly influenced by the world around us and by the creative endeavors that preceded us. We should not be embarrassed by our influences; rather, we should embrace them and seek out new ones.

ADULT SWIM
Michael Cahill and Jacob Escobedo of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim discussed the evolution of this eclectic collection of late-night animation. Adult swim gained hordes of loyal fans on a miniscule budget by repurposing animations from Cartoon Network’s catalog of old Hanna Barebara cartoons. Graphic sophistication and diversity in programming increased along with Adult Swim’s fan base. As Adult Swim gained freedom to create new, more diverse programming, the diversity of its influences became more evident. Shows drew from fine art, southern culture (Cartoon Network is based in Atlanta GA) and old claymations among others, while bumpers were inspired by Chinese propaganda, pulp novels, Adult Swim’s own print work, and other unlikely sources.

CASEY REAS
Artist and programmer Casey Reas may have struck the perfect balance between art and technology. Reas and Ben Fry developed a programming language called Processing that is designed for creating images, animation, and sound. The language’s creators also developed a free forum for the language. There, artists and programmers can share new applications and examples while expanding on the languages’ capabilities. Reas uses the language for his own works. He creates stunning living paintings that move, grow, and die based on instructions that Reas develops with Processing. These works exist in many contexts including projections, screens, installations, and prints. Some sources of Reas’ inspiration include: information graphics, neuroanatomy, drawing, and video gaming.

EVAN ROTH
Evan Roth (also known as fi5ie) studies and creates graffiti. Roth’s interest in the process of graffiti taggers led him to create software that could record and analyze the movement of graffiti. Roth repurposed his digital records of moving graffiti into projections that he displayed on building surfaces throughout New York City, increasing awareness and appreciation for graffiti as an artform. Roth is also a member of the Graffiti Research Lab, an organization dedicated to outfitting graffiti artists with open source technologies for urban communication.

ADAM FOULKES AND ALAN SMITH OF NEXUS PRODUCTIONS
These British directors have a reputation for creating stunning animations that combine style, humor, and a pinch of darkness. They collide high-class with low-brow, producing work in many styles, and drawing from various influences, including information graphics, old television shows, mad magazine, vintage posters, and National Geographic. The results are breathtaking.

MICA HAHN OF CURRENT TV
Current TV is a youth oriented news and information network. It provides randomly programmed viewer contributed film content. The network’s mission is to provide viewers with relief from the typical predictable, corporate conglomerate sources of news and information. Current organizes its content into segments called pods, which are short topic-based videos that allow the network to provide “more [content], on more topics, from more points of view.�

PAUL NOTZOLD
Paul Notzold created a project called TXTual Healing that allows viewers to engage with the piece by sending text messages to a special number. Notzold projects speech bubbles onto building facades in New York City. He then invites viewers to text their own messages into the bubbles, producing diverse and intriguing results.