What’s going on in those little black boxes that have been displayed in the 75th Street lobby? You have to get up close–bend over for the taller among us–to discover the animated films made by the eighth graders during their week with artist-in-residence Raphaël Lerays.
Julien Guibreteau, coordinator of the fine art department at the Lycée, wanted to work on animation. He asked Raphaël, a native of Nantes like himself, a set designer, draftsman and director, who has been making animated films and videos for over 20 years.
Nantes is the home of Pierrick Sorin, a darling of the region and a well-known video artist and animator. (Discover a creation of P. Sorin here).
“In fact, it was a Frenchman, Charles-Émile Reynaud (8 December 1844 – 9 January 1918), who invented this process even before the discovery of cinema by the Lumière brothers,” explains Julien Guibreteau who, in preparation for the residency, created an optical theater prototype in the Lycée’s Makerspace.
The residency was the result of a collaboration between the Art and French Departments. The eight graders wrote fantastical stories based on a common premise for all four classes: “It’s midnight at the Lycée“…, and photographed the locations in the Lycée where their story would take place, the “crime scenes” as it were.
During the week, the artist introduced the students to the subtleties of the Adobe Fresco program and to the different animation techniques: the false still, the close-up or the interval to solve the problems of scale.
“I like the uncomplicated side of his work. He starts with observation drawings and shows that animation is possible”, says Julien Guibreteau. Obviously the students also liked it, astonished themselves by what they could create.
After this successful first session, animation will be on the program for all eighth graders next year.
This residency is part of the Lycée Français de New York’s artist-in-residence program, which allows students of all levels to meet and work with artists for a short period of time (one week). This program includes students in first, third, fifth, eighth and 10th grade. It is financed in part by parent contributions to the Annual Fund.
About the Author :
Pascale Richard joined the Lycée as director of the Cultural Center in 2011, where she aims to bring the best of French and American cultures through conferences, concerts, films and various events. In the fall of 2012, she launched the school’s Artist-in-Residence program. Pascale was previously Vice President of External Affairs at the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF). Her background is in journalism and writing with a focus on lifestyle and fashion. She is a graduate of Sciences-po and holds a master’s in journalism from New York University.