
Henry Darger's creations would not receive blockbuster adaptations, but over the course of his life which spanned all but 100 years, he would weave an astounding universe from his hopes, his pain and his dream. We use him to illustrate the importance and power of story.
We live in a world where in a sense 'history' has already happened, so in an age without great monuments, what stories are there to tell? Well, anything you can dream of.
This course is about the power of narrative and the art of creating meaningful stories, whether they close to home or an ocean of stars away. We aim to explore how to treat storytelling as an art form which permeates through the core of our world.
Characters can be living things with agency, that make choices, have thoughts and interpret the world, living lives as complex and nuanced as our own.
We explore the hero and villain archetypes as we reach for a more complex, meaningful and sincere understanding of character in a dynamic and subjective world.
We explore the relationship between story and plot, as well the role that characters play in them and how these various elements of a piece of art work together to create a 'world'.
Characters and their experiences are conduits for empathy, but why is this important and what role does pathos play. Emotion is the core and soul of storytelling, here we explore interpolating it with intent and sincerity.
Exploring the narrative utilisation and significance of colour. Full lecture text is available in 4 parts, attached to art on Instagram @hei_iosefthenna
Exploring a genre of art and literature for the 21st century. What is the purpose and origins of speculative fiction and art and how and why is it evolving? Using my own work: #seekingscarletattheendoftheworld as a case study.
This course isn't about me teaching you how to tell stories, because I believe like all art, storytelling is a deeply personal experience. This course is about exploring the artform itself, whether your write, draw, animate or rig, this course will venture into the nuances, subtleties, complexities and importance of what storytelling is and provide advice on how to do it meaningfully, from raising characters to building worlds. This is something different; from Miyazaki to John Milton, we explore how in the 21st century, we are better positioned to tell new, more compelling stories, the likes of which haven't as of yet been seen. The course is split into 4 sections:
1) Narrative
2) Character
3) World
4) Emotion