As our students prepare for the public opening of Degree Show Two: Design tomorrow, we take a closer look at their final projects and the inspirations behind them.
MA Character Animation student Inês Delicioso’s final film is an autobiographical reflection on adult life – or what she considers life as an adult to be. Loosely inspired by the 1970s wave of feminism epitomised by personal, self-reflective filmmaking, Há Dias Assim (Days Like This), tackles several subjects that concern Delicioso on a daily basis. Combining reality with daydreaming, her film is a way of processing worries about the chaos of contemporary life. Here, she talks us through five key issues that she addresses in the short animation.
1. Feminism
Although it is 2018 and we consider ourselves to live an advanced society, there are still a lot of differences between life for men and women. There is no need to go very far – female mutilation still occurs, even in supposed “developed countries”, and there is no need to detail emerging economies here because it is clear these need a lot of work. In Há Dias Assim (Days Like This), I address the fact that the struggle has by no means ended. Women are still earning less than men, they still have to shrink themselves in public spaces and violence against women is still a major problem.
2. Environmentalism
This is a very important point for me. Our planet is being destroyed by us on every front: from what we eat, to the way we travel to the economic system that urges us to mindlessly consume, not to mention our use of plastic. Capitalism lives on the premise that there is infinite growth, which means infinite consumption. This premise is completely opposed to our natural environment – which can only ever be limited. This often makes me lose sleep at night and I can’t seem to understand why no one is doing anything to tackle the problem.
3. Veganism
If I talk about living with a clear conscience, being a feminist and an environmentalist, there is no logical explanation to not also be vegan. I have used the film to preach a bit in this regard, in the hope that one day people will look back and think the film outdated because people were eating meat. I am very positive about a re-education and culture shift in regards to our diet. I hope to live to a time where eating meat becomes the anomaly and veganism is the norm, across the world. The meat industry is one of the most polluting businesses of our age. In addition, ethically, I also cannot understand how we consent to the mass slaughter of so many lives.
4. Capitalism
I have already touched on the subject, but a society that defines happiness and enslaves people with money is not a thriving one. This system is failing most of us, causing social and environmental problems. So, I want to use the opportunity of film to remind people that we do not breathe money – money is only a collective delusion.
5. Self-worth
This is where I discovered I have to begin to have a content life and to navigate this crazy world we live in. Working on myself and producing things I want to, makes me a happier and therefore better, more patient person with others and with my life. In my film, this translates in two ways: In the narrative, when “she” finally gets home and sits down to draw, everything suddenly seems calm, and in a technical way through my experimentation with different techniques such as hand colouring, stop motion, motion graphics and 3D. I have learnt so much along the way that on a personal level this was a great step and a big help in making me feel more confident in my filmmaking skills.
More:
- Read about MA Character Animation
- Visit Degree Show Two: Design