Animation at Buffalo

Animation is the art of motion, and art in motion. It is that which gives something life. Anima means to 'give life' or 'soul' to something. And this is what animators do: they transmit their own living gestures to a work of art and give it the most magical of all qualities, something all people everywhere instinctively recognize and understand: life and soul. It requires great sensitivity to be able to create empathy, and this is the most basic quality of an animator. Animators observe and capture nuances and subtleties and recreate them in a careful sequence of individual images. But they can surpass even this by transforming those images even more. They can metamorphose the living beings in ways that tell us about the mysteries of life, going beyond the limitations of the physical world to tell ageless stories about birth, life, dreams, human relationships, cultural interactions, transformations, and even death. This is a form of storytelling that, through putting art work in motion (including painting, sculpture, and text/writing), is related closely to philosophy and poetry. Animators tell stories and show us our inner and outer worlds, our individual and shared feelings, emotions, and thoughts. Above all, they move us, ask questions and show answers in ways we never had considered, and show us our world in new and unexpected ways.

At UB, we are creating an experimental animation program that bridges physical and digital media, as well as a wide range of genres and artforms. For example, students can work with experimental, computer, or character animation and integrate it with documentary film, experimental video art, web design, installation, interactive media including virtual reality and robotics. We encourage students to develop a firm foundation in animation basics, including physical animation, and extend it according to their own visions and goals.

More Info on the program, faculty and the Buffalo community.