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THANK YOU NYC
SEE YOU AGAIN IN 2019

7th

Pictoplasma
Conference
NYC 


NOVEMBER 7+8, 2018


PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN
The Auditorium

This November, the Berlin-based Pictoplasma Conference returns to New York to present today\’s most trailblazing and trendsetting character design—and plumb the depths of the creators\’ thinking and working methodologies. 

ONLINE REGISTRATION IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE!

CONFERENCE

ARTIST TALKS,
LECTURES AND
PRESENTATIONS

The Pictoplasma Conference presents 10+ hand picked key lectures by the world’s most influential artists and upcoming talents, cutting-edge graphic, toy and game designers and leading animation filmmakers. It is the meeting point for 500+ international attendees, offering the chance to learn from, be inspired by, and rub shoulders with some of today’s most innovative and avant-garde visual creators.

—  CONFIRMED SPEAKERS  —

Jeron Braxton

USA

Jeron Braxton is a self taught 3D animator exploring the Black American experience via surreal Playstation 2 aesthetics. His award winning films are making waves world wide and received the top animation prize at Sundance 2018. 

jeronbraxton.com >>>

Taili Wu

USA

Taili Wu is a designer and stop-motion artist with a passion for handmade design, playful things and crunchy cookies. Having grown up in the farm land of Taiwan, she draws inspirations from animals, daily objects, and toys. Her fascination and curiosity with everyday objects compels her to tell stories through stop-motion, ceramics, and mixed mediums. 

monstershaper.com  >>>

Paul Budnitz

USA

Paul Budnitz is an American artist, designer, and entrepreneur. He is well known as the founder & CEO of Superplastic, the world’s premiere creator of art toys & accessories. He is also the founder of Budnitz Bicycles, the luxury city bicycle brand, and is co-founder of social network Ello. In 2002 Budnitz created the designer toy brand Kidrobot(which he sold in 2012).
Paul is the author of several books, has founded over a dozen companies, and lectures on creativity worldwide. A dozen of Budnitz’ designs are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. He lives in Burlington, Vermont and wears size 13 sneakers.

budnitz.com  >>>

Miranda Tacchia

USA

Miranda Tacchia is a designer, illustrator, and cartoonist, working in Los Angeles in the animation industry. She has worked as a character designer and layout artist for several animation studios including Disney, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Warner Brothers. She is most known for her online comics and single Post-It note drawings accompanied by humorous, and often sexual one-liner captions. Her work has been featured in galleries in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, and New York, as well as publications such as Juxtapoz and Printed Pages (UK).

instagram.com/mrmtacchia  >>>

ALEX NORRIS

UK

Alex Norris is an award-winning webcomic creator, best known for the complicated meta-gags of ‘Dorris McComics’ and the parody of relatable webcomics ‘Webcomic Name’. After studying English Literature, Alex aimed to sneak themes of high literature into the low art genre of webcomics. Tragedy and comedy are fused together, and repetitive formats with a catchphrase are used to explore themes of false expectations and human relationships, and to celebrate the mediocrity of art on the internet. Alex grew up in Swansea, South Wales, and now resides in East London, struggling to write a comic without an “oh no” punchline.

webcomicname.com  >>>

Félicie Haymoz

CH/USA

Félicie Haymoz took her first steps as a character designer on the animated feature Max&Co, followed by Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, for which she was the lead character designer and tasked with turning Hollywood A-Listers into lovable furry animals. She just finished designing the charming Japanese characters of Wes Anderson\’s second animation film, Isle of Dogs. In recent years she has been involved in various commercial and feature development projects, creating a wide variety of characters and concept art for stop­motion­, digital 3d­ and cut­out animation productions.

feliciehaymoz.com  >>>

Mike Perry

USA

Mike Perry is an artist, animator, creative director, brand consultant, poet, and designer. His work encompasses paintings, drawings, sculptures, art installations, books, murals, all of which are made to conjure that feeling of soul-soaring you have when you stare into distant galaxies on a dark night, when you go on long journeys into the imagination, when you laugh and can’t stop laughing. Key to Mike’s working method is the recognition that art and objects, go through many iterations—discoveries, coverings, uncoverings—until they’re finished; people do the same until they are fully revealed.

mikeperrystudio.com  >>>

Réka Bucsi

HU

Réka Bucsi is a Hungarian independent animation filmmaker. She received her BFA and MFA at the animation department of Moholy­-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest. Her graduation film ‘Symphony No. 42’ was shortlisted for the 87th Academy Awards. Her films were screened as part of the official selection at Berlinale, SXSW, Sundance, Annecy, and have won her over 60 international awards. Her French co-produced short film ‘LOVE’ was nominated for the European Film Awards 2017, and shortlisted for the César Award 2018. Réka recently finished her first feature length project ‘Solar Walk,’ a movie screened with a live jazz orchestra.

rekabucsi.tumblr.com  >>>

Peter Sluszka

USA

Peter Sluszka has spent a career trying to coax personality and character out of inanimate objects. With strong roots in stop motion, it’s not uncommon to find him fully immersed in a project and getting his hands dirty with set design, fabrication, or animation. It also helps that he’s gleaned a thing or two from his time working alongside the legendary Michel Gondry.
Having directed commercials, music videos, and animation for television series and feature films, Peter’s portfolio is brimming with live action, CG and stop-motion feats. He’s manipulated everything from traditional puppets to paper-craft, meat, origami, snow, yarn and (literally) tons of clay.

hornetinc.com/peter-sluszka  >>>

Sophie Koko Gate

UK

Sophie Koko Gate was born in Bath and came to London to study animation at the Royal College of Art. She had international success with her graduation film ‘Half Wet’, and since then has presented her work and given artist talks at festivals and universities around the world. From her studio in East London she directs and produces content for clients like Google, MTV, Air Bnb, Lena Dunham and Harvard University. She also writes songs and creates the animated visuals for the musical freak John Daker. Recently Sophie has made a short for Adult Swim and is finishing off her new film ‘Slug Life’ which will be broadcasted on the BBC in October.

sophiekokogate.com  >>>

Orion Tait / BUCK

USA

Orion Tait is creative director and partner at Buck, a design-driven production company with offices in New York, Los Angeles and Sydney. Buck’s directors and artists use animation, visual effects and live action to deliver work that is visceral, innovative, fun and ego-free. Buck understands itself as an integrated collective of designers, artists and storytellers, who believe in the power of collaboration—the special alchemy that only happens when working together toward a common purpose. Buck works with a broad range of clients in the advertising, broadcast, film and entertainment industries.

buck.tv  >>>

ANIMATION SCREENINGS

Big screen 
psychedelic eye-candy and storytelling genius

 

The Conference\’s film section brings animated newborns to the big screen, whisking the audience around the world in three freshly curated programmes brimming with psychedelic eye-candy and storytelling genius.

CHARACTERS IN MOTION — Part 1

NOVEMBER 7

FEST


Fest   

2018 / DE / 02’55’’
Nikita Diakur

MAJESTIC BEAST / MAGICAL CAT / NOPE


Majestic Beast / Magical Cat / Nope  

2015 / UK / 00’48’’
AJ Jefferiesi

HOME MAKEOVER


Home Makeover 

2017 / FR / 02’07’’
Alexandre Louvenaz

screenings2018_jeron


Octane

2018 / USA / 06’03’’
Jeron Braxton

FEEDING THE DUCKS


Feeding the Ducks

2017 / UK / 00’23’’
Jack Sachs & Michael Marczewski

DATENITE - SEX BRUISE


DateNite – Sex Bruise

2017 / USA / 03’44’’
Conor Grebel

THE JUNGLE 


The Jungle 

2017 / UK / 01’40’’
Joseph Melhuish

AUTO NOM


Auto Nom

2017 / DE / 02’09’’
Julius Steinhauser

FITNESS ZONE


Fitness Zone

2017 / UK / 01’42’’
Jack Sachs

screenings2018_felix


Flyin\’ Bamboo

2018 / AU / 02’50’’
Felix Colgrave

GEENIE REENIE


Geenie Reenie

2017 / AU / 04’10’’
Andrew Onorato

CAT CITY


Cat City

2017 / USA / 03’00’’
Victoria Vincent

SKYBABY


Skybaby

2018 / USA / 02’40’’
Julian Glander

YOU GOTTA BELIEVE


You Gotta Believe

2018 / USA / 02’52’’
Nina Paley

MAMOON


Mamoon

2017 / UK / 06’10’’
Ben Steer

Insomnia


Insomnia

2017 / FR / 02’11’’
Islena Neira

MOTION PICTURES


Motion Pictures

2017 / USA / 09’41’’
Matthew Incontri

GOOD NIGHT, EVERYBUDS!


Good Night, Everybuds!

2017 / DE / 05’30’’
Benedikt Hummel

screenings2018_reka


Solar Walk

2017 / DN / 21\’00\’\’
Réka Bucsi

CHARACTERS IN MOTION — Part 2

NOVEMBER 8

EYES


Eyes  
2018 / FI/DE / 01’25’’
Lucas Zanotto

CHANGEOVER


Changeover 
2014 / IR / 02’00’’
Mehdi Alibeygi

SOG


Sog
2017 / DE / 10’14’’ 
Jonatan Schwenk

THE BALD FUTURE


The Bald Future 
2016 / FR / 05’00’’
Paul Cabon

PEEPIN


Peepin
2017 / AU / 04’38’’
Haein Kim & Paul Rhodes 

BITS


Bits
2017 / UK / 02’30’’ 
Laurie Rowan

UGLY


Ugly
2017 / DE / 11’54’’ 
Nikita Diakur

OPAL WALTZ


Opal Waltz
2017 / FR / 03’54’’ 
Vincent Tsui

LIFE WITHOUT STUFF


Life Without Stuff
2017 / UK / 01’14’’ 
Garth Lee

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING


Looking For Something 
2018 / UK / 03’52’’
César Pelizer

ISLAND


Island
2017 / DE / 02’30’’ 
Max Mörtl & Robert Löbel

ART FOR LAWYERS

Art For Lawyers
2017 / UK / 09’00’’ 
Rory Waudby-Tolley

RABBIT'S BLOOD


Rabbit\’s Blood
2017 / UK/JP / 05’00’’ 
Sarina Nihei

TIME FOR SUSHI


Time For Sushi
2017 / USA / 05’03’’ 
David Lewandowski

THE BURDEN


The Burden (Min börda)
2017 / SW / 14\’00\’\’
Niki Lindroth von Bahr 

SCHEDULE

NOVEMBER 7


02pm — Doors Open / Registration 
03pm — Lectures: Mike Perry, Sophie Koko Gate
05.30pm — Lectures: Jeron Braxton, Réka Bucsi
08pm — Screening: Characters in Motion 2018 (part 1)

NOVEMBER 8


11am — Doors Open / Registration 
12pm — Lectures: Paul Budnitz, Taili Wu, Peter Sluszka 
03pm — Lectures: Félicie Haymoz, Orion Tait / Buck
05.30pm — Lectures: Miranda Tacchia, Alex Norris
08pm — Screening: Characters in Motion 2018 (part 2)

HOSTED BY /
ORGANISED IN COLLABORATION WITH /

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old_tishman

VENUE


PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN

THE AUDITORIUM


Alvin Johnson/J.M. Kaplan Hall
The New School
66 West 12th Street
New York, NY 10011

Designed and built in the 1930s by legendary architect Joseph Urban, the Auditorium is an impressive 468-seat venue with a proscenium-style stage. It was named one of the world\’s most powerful rooms by ABC News in 2014, thanks to the incredible roster of public figures and leaders who have spoken there. 

The Auditorium is located in Alvin Johnson/J.M. Kaplan Hall at 66 West 12th Street.

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