Amy Thornley | Interactive Designer, Artist, Graphic, Web and Motion Graphics

I am always busy

Amy — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 09:59:47 +0000

So busy that I have time to make odd experiments using scaled up spinning Mac OS beachballs that work across spaces…

Here is the video showing how I achieved this. If you want to try it yourself, you can download the file here: /Alwaysbusy.zip

Glitch #2

Amy — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:55:39 +0000

This weeks glitch was created from one of my ‘faux pas photoshop’ images, which I then decided to break, now usually this results in something similar to the image from last week. What I like however about breaking someting, is that occasionally it just does something completely unexpected. So for example this time it sort of turned the wave image into some weird pixelized drawing. Quite interesting..

Another interesting thing about glitches, is when I often try to directly upload the glitched file to my blog, or open the file in photoshop, it corrects itself. Like there is some programming in there that says, fix those broken strings! So I often end up having to find another way to preserve the file. Computers seemingly designed to fix things, but yet so many errors can still occur, and beauty be found within it. It is a human thing to constantly strive for perfection, but why? Often the most beautiful or interesting things are those that go wrong, after all, the human being is likely a mutation. The world was possibly created by a freak incident, an error. Error creates interest, we should stop striving to obliterate it.

The Weekly Glitch

Amy — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:20:57 +0000

I have a massive love of mistakes and glitches within visuals, I am fascinated by the tiny nuances that can go wrong with a file and how visuals can look corrupted and broken up, yet still often be recognizable. I’m going to start something called the weekly glitch, I often mess around with files to corrupt them/break them. (Strange hobby I know) and also created my animated alphabet using tracking to mess up old VHS videos. From now on once a week, I will devote some time to messing something up in some way or form.

Glitch #1

Close-up:

Full:

Click for detail.

New Projects

Amy — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:45:24 +0000

I’ve updated my website with a few new experimental projects. Check them out and let me know what you think, I have been experimenting with manipulating computer generated imagery.

Faux Pas Photoshop and Distorted Reflections.

I Accelerate

Amy — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:37:49 +0000

Produced along with Louise Lawlor under our partnership Collective of Two, an animation in collaboration with poet Musa Okwonga for Smile for London: Word in Motion 2012. The idea was based on the idea of a computer not being able to keep up, and therefore starting to corrupt, this was relating to the notion of modern hectic life referened in Musa's poetry. It was screened on the London Underground for two weeks in January 2012.

Faux Pas Photoshop

Amy — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:18:20 +0000

Distorted Reflections

Amy — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:07:24 +0000

I Accelerate

Amy — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:18:07 +0000

Mine and Louise Lawlor’s animation in collaboration with poet Musa Okwonga for Smile for London: Word in Motion 2012. On the London Underground this weekend, check the website for details!

The idea was based on the idea of a computer not being able to keep up, relating to the idea of modern hectic life and the fact that we cannot stop.

Smile for London: Word in Motion

Amy — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:02:04 +0000

Smile for London is back again, this time using poetry as a way to cheer up busy london commuters. They are working with the likes of Scroobius Pip, Jarvis Cocker and Cerys Matthews. These poems have then been transformed by a variation of animators into pieces of moving image for the tube.

Myself and Louise Lawlor under our name Collective of Two were graciously asked back by the wonderful Jo and Alex heading the Smile for London campaign this year. We were asked to animate a poem to be screened on the underground and we naturally accepted!

A picture of us at the launch with poet Musa Okwonga

We recently attended the launch, and are very excited about seeing the the films on the tube this week. If you’re in London get yourself down to the tube station between 7am – 10pm and 4pm – 7pm. Ours is on in the afternoon, please let me know if you see it!

Here is a teaser to wet your appetite:

How to be Alone

Amy — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:33:44 +0000

Beautiful video, how to be alone. I love the little bits of animation, the voice over the top and the perfect music choice. A great video with a great message. Being alone isn’t always a bad thing. I’ve always quite enjoyed being alone.