Abbey Bennett
2018-20 Chris J Melnychuk Scholarship Recipient
About Abbey Bennett
Abbey Bennett is an artist from Calgary who tries to make things that look like the way she sees the world. She began experimenting with animation at the beginning of 2017 and it has taken over her brain.
About Abbey's Scholarship Film (in her own words):
"Darkening" will be a 2.5-3 minute short animation using rotoscoping techniques, and pose-to-pose morphing. Using my own footage I will explore a figurative subject in a structured landscape. I will experiment with the representation of the body using different incarnations of light such as reflections, shadows, and beams.
I will non-narratively navigate a few key concepts - queer identity, solitude, and intimacy - using symbolic imagery and movement, and I will engage with traditional cinematic shots such as the bridging shot, close up, and the Dutch tilt to convey feeling without a storyline. Inspiration for this film has come from multiple sources including my own experiences and relationships, writings from Bell Hooks and Leslie Feinberg, and the animations of Heather Kai Smith and ShiShi Yamakazi.
Here's a music video made by Abbey at QAS for Parisian Orgy: