Submarine Channel

‘Motion Comics – The Beginnings’ is the first exhibition entirely devoted to interactive comics. The travelling expo features a selection of the best interactive works along with original art, process art, and a video program.

Motion Comics – The Beginnings is an initiative of the Fumetto Festival in Lucerne, Switzerland, who first presented the exhibition in 2014. The Haarlem edition and all subsequent presentations contain new works and are co-curated Remco Vlaanderen, senior editor of Submarine Channel.

Innovative indie productions

The timing is perfect for an exhibition about motion comics. With the rise of smartphones and tablets the number of people who read comics on a screen is steadily increasing. According to curator Remco Vlaanderen, the most interesting interactive comics are made by independent artists. “They work alone or in a small team on projects they are passionate about, in which they combine their love of comics with the creative possibilities new media has to offer. That is why the exhibition emphasizes innovative ‘indie’ motion comics, created by inquisitive makers who push the artistic boundaries.” An example is ‘Modern Polaxis‘, the alternate reality comic by Australian comic artist and interactive designer Sutu (Stu Campbell): a graphic novel about a paranoid time traveler who hides secret messages in his diary. With a special AR app that comes with the comic book you can see and hear how Polaxis experiences the world. ‘The Land of the Magic Flute,’ a motion comic based on Mozart’s ‘Die Zauberflöte’ (image below), created by Fons Schiedon and IMF – Interactive Media Foundation, was also be featured.

Presentations

Stripdagen Haarlem, The Netherlands, 3 June – 24 July, 2016
Location: ABC, Haarlem, The Netherlands (google maps).
This exhibition, the motion comic workshop by Sutu, and the artist talks are part of the Stripdagen Haarlem (3 – 12 June, 2017), one of the biggest and best comic festivals in Northern Europe.

Fumetto International Comics Festival, Lucerne, Switzerland, April 5th to 13th, 2014 (image).

Program

In addition to the fifteen motion comics that will be available on iPads and computers, there was original art work to admire, such as a man-sized drawing by Jason Shiga, which formed the basis for his interactive comic ‘Meanwhile.’ Another eye-catcher was the huge panoramic drawing by Sutu, which is over 9 meters long. Amazing pieces to absorb and get lost in.

Additionally, there were posters that visualize and explain the creative process behind some of the interactive productions, process art, and a continuous program with making of-videos and short artist profiles.

Workshops and Presentations

The prolific Australian creator Sutu gave a workshop on how to make motion comics for Instagram. Gustavo Garcia talked about Submarine Channel’s latest motion comic ‘Ascent from Akeron,’ and Remco Vlaanderen presented Screendiver – the Digital Comics Directory.

Motion Comics – The Beginnings (Haarlem edition) was made possible by:
Fonds21, Cultuurstimuleringsfonds Haarlem, J.C. Ruigrok Stichting, Department of Culture and the Arts Australia, The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, the United States Embassy in The Hague, the Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie, Kunstenplan Amsterdam.