Jan Svankmajer | Dimensions of Dialogue

Another Jan Svankmajer video I knew and watch is 'Dimensions of Dialogue' which does relate and have similar qualities to his other animation 'Food' that I watched and discussed before. It is once again a stop-motion animation using clay but this time focuses on how we as a species communicate with one another and presents the failings of the human race in an disturbing yet capturing way. Therefore I feel this animation especially relates to Identity and how each of us have different approaches as to how we communicate with each other, and how different outcomes can be depending on someones personality.

The film is divided into three sections; 'Eternal conversations' which presents three faces made up of a mixture of random objects, each representing a different theme (agriculture, industry and culture) of which the three characters proceed to reduce one another to to bland copies (clay). They represent that when people of different cultures, background and opinions come together and share what they have to say the result can be them having very similar if not the same opinions. The second section is called 'Passionate discourage' displays a man and a women who dissolve into one another sexually and represent the consequences of falling in love. The couple also have a baby that could represent the difficulties of relationships and the outcomes that could happen. Another meaning could be more political and certain groups will collaborate and work, but only when things go wrong will they turn on one another and fallout over the monster they created (the baby in the animation). The final section is 'Factual convention' which coveys two elderly looking heads facing one another, whilst offering various food items or objects to each other. Each object complimenting the other item in front of it, for example; one had a slice of toast while the other has a knife with butter on it. However as the claymation goes on we see each head offering objects that do not compliment one another; a toothbrush and a pencil sharper. We witness the characters moving faster and the objects becoming more obscure while the to faces become more exhausted. This story is trying to tell us that even when conversationalists do have similar interests and opinions, it can sometimes still lead to arguments and fall outs between both parties. Below you will find all three section of Svankmajer's claymation.



This particular claymation that Svankmajer has given me inspiration for my own work in terms of the layout and length of experimentation I want to do. Svankmajer always seems to want to push the boundaries when it comes to his work, and wants to be able to impress his audience. What I found from a lot of the reactions to his work is that many people have felt slightly disturbed by his approach and the sorts of imagery he is able to produce. We are able to witness very real and common themes within the video but in a much more creative and unnerving way. Keeping someone captivated by your work is something Svankmajer is very successful at as you finish watching his work asking yourself and others questions.

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