A white bear riding a bicycle and a taunting matador are bound together eternally in this looping hand-drawn animation.

24 November–12 December, 2009
Seventh Gallery
155 Gertrude Street
Fitzroy Vic 3065
Australia

A bizarre perpetual motion machine is taking place in a void-like desert expanse.

A circus bear rides a bicycle in an eternal circuit, chasing a red flag.

A matador lures the bear from atop the pedestal, red flag like a carrot on a stick.

A bizarre contraption links bicycle and pedestal.

In a Catch 22, while the bear chases the matador’s flag, the matador is consistently spun away by the bear’s pedalling.

This animation was shown in the night window projection screen at Seventh Gallery, on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy, Melbourne.

It was one of many looped animated works I made around this time, showing them in galleries around Melbourne.

I was experimenting with getting videos to hold the attention of audiences at a time when video art was often long form and narrative — two things I felt were out of place in galleries, and better suited to film festivals.

The animation was made using ink on paper, then scanning them into Photoshop and then layering elements and sequencing them to video form in After Effects.

I enjoyed making this short form animation after previously working on a 3 minute short film.

Short form animation allowed me to focus on the concept, design, and visual execution, contrasting colours and textures.