Jan 27th2019
Nobuhiro Aihara’s Third Eye
Japanese extreme animator Nobuhiro Aihara (1944-2011) created flowing, complex and sometimes erotically charged works that combine flicker, filmed action, performance and drawn animation to create a psychedelic kaleidoscope of high intensity. Firmly rooted in the experimental Japanese animation movement, he started independent film production in the 1960s producing several works each year. Although he has been shown internationally, his work is not widely known – we are proud to present a selection from his amazing output.
Stone(1975/ 16mm / 7mins/)Animated ink blots – rock – time lapse – a drawing appears on a wall – then a small house – a child and woman paint the bricks.
Hikari(1978/16mm /3mins)A group sit in the park, they throw drawings to each other – which are then frozen in mid-air and become animations within the frame
Karma(1977/16mm/ 3mins)A circle is animated with amorphous shapes
My Shelter(1981/16mm / 9mins)A cave mouth is examined, a soundtrack full of explosions. Rapid close ups of leaves and flowers. Waltz music, photo portraits of a family in front of the cave
Omagatok(1985/16mm / 4 mins)Hands / flicker/ morphing animation suggests sexual organs in a frantic dance.
Image Shadows(1987/16mm / 8 mins)Steps with shadows. An arm shadow in the landscape – concrete/grass/flowers. Flicker and a finger morphs into abstraction. A real hand appears above the animation, a zoom -drawings/hands/feet
The Third Eye(1999 / 16mm / 4mins)Ice/ink on white, then into black and red explosive figures, a finger appear
Wind (2000/ 16mm / 5mins)Photos taken with a pinhole camera, sky + clouds. Swirling animation like smoke against a black background.
Yellow Snake(2006/video/10mins)“Two screens are constantly moving around in my body. Both have a different position and speed, sometimes they overlap, sometimes they are mixed.” NA
Zap Cat(2008 / 16mm/ 2.5 mins)Circles printed on white paper. Animation frenzy as music becomes more erotic/erratic.
Greg Pope. 