In conversation with: Lucien Kelman, BA (Hons) Animation

Lucien is a third year student studying BA (Hons) Animation, specialising in stop-motion.

She is particularly interested in experimental animation and filmmaking.

Photo: Max Bhattacherjee, BA (Hons) Photography

Why did you apply to Norwich University of the Arts?

Before making my application, I received a great amount of support from the Student Recruitment team. A team member came to visit my sixth-form college, running a workshop while giving us valuable information about Norwich University of the Arts. This experience really helped with my decision-making process, although I ultimately decided to wait a year before applying due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I instead completed an art foundation Level 4 course, giving me the time to apply to university with some more creative skills under my belt. The response to my application from Norwich was personal and thoughtful, and the teaching staff took the time to reach out to me and send positive feedback about my portfolio, which was a real confidence boost.

Lucien led a workshop for other students during Interchange Week

What does a typical week look like for you at Norwich?

My week varies throughout the term; typically Mondays will be for independent development. I spend time in The Monastery or the Make Space, practicing my skills and experimenting with different ways of working. On Tuesdays I will often have lectures, delivered by both teaching staff and visiting academics. Thursdays are usually all-day creative workshops, where we receive demonstrations and guidance about vital hands-on skills. As a stop-motion student, it is important that we develop all of the necessary skills in puppet fabrication, set design and how to operate an animation studio setup. These workshops are dotted all over the University, each providing us with opportunities to learn about textiles, casting, sound design, life-drawing and so much more. After these initial workshops you are free to go back to a particular studio and practice these skills further, students often finding their niche from these classes. I rediscovered my love for music and sound design in a two-day workshop series, then went to research it independently, which resulted in me creating a soundtrack for a student short film.

How would you describe your practice?

My practice I would define as being completely mixed-media. While I specialise in stop-motion, I have a great love of Computer Generated (CG) processes. I have recently put a lot of time into learning Blender for animation, which is really fun. I am currently in the process of creating my first purely CG film, which is very challenging but also incredibly useful for developing my knowledge of the software. I come from a fine art background, so I like to include traditional, analogue media in my processes too. One of my favourite ways to do this is by creating hand-painted textures and displacement maps for CG models. I also like to needlefelt in my spare time, so occasionally I will use this skill to create textures and puppets for stop-motion works. I have also spent time in the Creative Tech Lab learning projection-mapping, which is great fun. I would like to use this to create larger scale installations, incorporating my own animations and sound design.

Outcomes from Lucien’s Interchange workshop

Where do you look for inspiration?

Much of my inspiration comes from music. I am a die-hard fan of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard; their entire discography is vibrant and incredibly thought-provoking. Their music videos are also heavily experimental and weird, which inspires me to keep making strange things. In terms of visual artists, I am very inspired by Sophie Koko Gate – who I had the joy of working with during East Gallery’s exhibition of her work. She doesn’t shy away from the bizarre, creating incredibly unique animations and films.

My course has been very supportive of my experimental animation endeavours, with lecturers giving me thorough feedback but also giving me time to breathe and take in the crit. This year we have been presenting our work on the big screen every week, which has been a very valuable experience. Watching your own film in a lecture theatre is an odd experience at first, but it soon becomes very useful for spotting smaller mistakes as well as successes in your work. It has also helped me to feel proud of my work, providing me with motivation to keep going. These sessions I feel have developed my skills in presenting and giving as well as receiving criticism. This I feel is very important for my future, especially if I end up in a director/producer role.

My favourite place in the University is definitely The Monastery. It is the main hub for the Animation course and you will find me there most of the time working away at one of the computers in the upstairs studio. The building itself is really pretty and nestled away near the river, with modern interiors ready for technical learning. It is very easy to access help too, with technicians on site at all times. The variety of resources is also great; we have access to high spec PCs in all rooms, sound studios and stop-motion working spaces. The walls are ever-changing, with new student work going up all the time. I also really love using the Creative Tech Lab. There is always something weird going on inside which is really cool to see. Again, fantastic technicians are always on hand with a genuine passion for supporting students and sharing their knowledge. That honestly applies to any building in the University; each space is truly designed with students in mind – with teaching staff and technicians always available to help.

Gallery Assistant team at Norwich Uni’s East Gallery

What has been the highlight of your University experience?

My highlight of University has definitely been the work opportunities I have taken part in. I can’t express enough how important work experience is for professional development, and the fact that the Uni has so many jobs for students is fantastic. I became a Student Ambassador in my first year, which quickly lead to a position as a Gallery Assistant at East Gallery. Through my time as an ambassador, I have met and worked with so many incredible people – many who are now sure friends for life. My ability to communicate my thoughts has improved immensely, I have gained skills in events management and running workshops for a wide variety of people.

What advice would you give to a new student at Norwich?

The main piece of advice I would have for studying at Norwich is to be open to new ideas. It can sometimes be hard to branch out from your usual way of working, but once you give it a go you will learn so much about your practice and yourself. Go to talks you don’t think apply to you, speak to people from other courses, attend crit events — don’t be scared to not understand everything, it is in my opinion an important step to becoming a better creative.

To learn more about Lucien and her work take a look at her website and instagram.