"Things begin with 1, and return to 1"
物事は１から始まり１に戻る。
Azuru Isshiki’s 2003 animated short An Instant, pares the art of animation
down to its essentials: a series of images drawn in paint on paper. It begins and ends with a small dot, but in-between
Isshiki explores the full range of expression possible with just simple
animation tools. The film consists of
just black and red paint on a variety of different papers. Dots, lines, and spirals dance across the
screen, as does a cheerful female figure.
It is an exuberant and life-affirming piece in the same vein as Norman McLaren’s Boogie Doodle (1940).
The
animation is accompanied by a dynamic percussive score performed by Kyōichi Satō (佐藤強一, b. 1962). It was first shown as a silent film
accompanied by a live impromptu music performance in 2003 at an animation event
called "INTO ANIMATION 3" organized by JAA (Japan Animation
Association). After this event, the music
was recorded and added to the film.
An Instant screened as part of the
programme A
Wild Patience – Indie Animated Shorts by Women at Nippon Connection 2016. It appears on the ASIFA-JAPAN DVD, vol 1, which
can be used for non-profit screenings celebrating International Animation Day
(IAD) held by ASIFA national groups.
Azuru Isshiki (一色 あづる, b. 1949) is an animation artist from Tokyo. She worked at Toei for five years before
going freelance. She is a member of the
animation group G9+1 and was a participant in Kihachirō Kawamoto’s
collaborative work Winter Days
(2003).
Azuru Isshiki Filmography
1992 Wind / 風 / Kaze
2002 A Day of the Earth / 地球の一日 / Chikyu no Ichinichi
2003 Winter Days / 冬の日 / Fuyu no Hi –
collaborative work
2004 An Instant
2005 Tokyo Fantasia / TOKYO ファンタジア – collaborative work (G9+1)
2006 Chigueso – Under the Sky of the Planet
Earth / チグエソ 地球の空の下で /
Chigueso – Chikyu no Sora No Shitade – Minna no Uta (NHK)
2007 A Dream Man / 夢人-ユメジン- / Yumjin – Minna no Uta (NHK)
2009 Rambling Child / Yushi no Ko
2009 A Part of Space
2010 Let's go to the Field after the Festival /
おまつりすんだはらっぱに /
Omatsuri Sundara Harappa ni – Okāsan
to Issho (NHK)
