EAGER by Allison Schulnik is a masterpiece. There's a clear sense of whimsy, magic and meaning present within it. These strong senses are a group effort, and Schulnik's bizarre yet beautifully sculpted animated figures are brought to life by the driving musical score of Aaron M. Olson and cinematographic direction of Helder K. Sun. EAGER can be felt within the soul. In the logical, analytical sense of viewing, it isn't immediately clear what it might be saying. In the intuitive, feeling sense of viewing, however; it's apparent that EAGER is communicating its themes on a deeper, subconscious, and emotional level. My own interpretation of what these potential themes consist of are: unity amongst living beings, transformation of the self and ego, and a return to nature and the Earth. EAGER also contains distinct psychedelic elements which are made apparent by its range in color choices and thematic elements relating to transformation, ego, and togetherness (there's also the smiling and dancing flowers). One take on the piece as a whole might be that it's a representation of a psychedelic and/or religious breakthrough from start to finish, and that we, the viewer, are bearing witness to this breakthrough. Again, this is all my personal interpretation, but the fact of the matter is that EAGER manages to be impactful without uttering a single word, and without containing traditional narrative elements.
Ultimately, Schulnik is representing the strangeness and beauty of what it means to be alive and to own a body. We're all just fragile, mangled messes of meat with no idea how we came to be, aren't we? Another artist who is working within this vein is Olivier de Sagazan. He's most known for his piece "Who is Behind Our Face?" which currently has 4.7 million views on YouTube. It is basically the embodiment of a 'cursed video'; don't watch it at night with the lights off. Sagazan is someone whose entire artistic practice centers around the use of clay on the body; his work constantly treads the line between the horror and beauty of being alive. He regularly uploads videos to his YouTube channel, and in the description of a video titled "Masterclass & Workshop with Olivier de Sagazan" - a video which is basically a glorified clay orgy - he states "To be covered with clay is an initiatory act that can be found in all primitive cultures. Clay has a liberating and creative power. A body covered with clay, as the primitives say, passes into the world of the spirits, between the sculpture and the ghost: It is a transfigured body, in dialogue with the "beyond."" This quote can be directly applied to the spirit of Schulnik's piece EAGER. These two artists would have a lot to discuss, I think.
Ultimately, Schulnik is representing the strangeness and beauty of what it means to be alive and to own a body. We're all just fragile, mangled messes of meat with no idea how we came to be, aren't we? Another artist who is working within this vein is Olivier de Sagazan. He's most known for his piece "Who is Behind Our Face?" which currently has 4.7 million views on YouTube. It is basically the embodiment of a 'cursed video'; don't watch it at night with the lights off. Sagazan is someone whose entire artistic practice centers around the use of clay on the body; his work constantly treads the line between the horror and beauty of being alive. He regularly uploads videos to his YouTube channel, and in the description of a video titled "Masterclass & Workshop with Olivier de Sagazan" - a video which is basically a glorified clay orgy - he states "To be covered with clay is an initiatory act that can be found in all primitive cultures. Clay has a liberating and creative power. A body covered with clay, as the primitives say, passes into the world of the spirits, between the sculpture and the ghost: It is a transfigured body, in dialogue with the "beyond."" This quote can be directly applied to the spirit of Schulnik's piece EAGER. These two artists would have a lot to discuss, I think.
