Mardi Gras Animations
In this set of animations for director Michele Poulos, I created a set of animations – from my own acrylic paintings, as timecards for the days & weeks leading up to Mardi Gras day. I also created an animation from an archival illustration.
“Lydia created the wondrous animation for my second feature-length documentary film about women’s participation in Mardi Gras. She created a multitude of animations, everything from bringing historical and archival materials to life to creating countdown timecards to Mardi Gras day. Her work added a spirit of playfulness, excitement, and intelligence to the film, transforming what would otherwise be work-a-day moments to encounters with something other-worldly and magical.
She intuited the most salient aspects of the film, transforming them through her artwork to create new and deeper meanings, expanding and enriching the major themes throughout. For example, she decided to make the final animated timecard—the day after Mardi Gras day—in greyscale, as opposed to the super saturated colors of the timecards leading up to Mardi Gras day. The decision to create that card in a more muted palette reinforces the idea that Ash Wednesday is upon us, a holy day for prayer and fasting that begins six weeks of penitence before Easter, and subtly suggests to the audience that not only is the party over, but a new period, one that is full of contemplation and seriousness, has begun.
Lydia is not only timely, professional, and exceptionally hard-working and well-organized, but I would say that her most impressive talent is her ability to interpret or translate ideas, and to craft those interpretations or translations into something tangible and real, and not just real, but into something you didn’t even know you wanted or needed. I am thrilled with Lydia’s work for the film and would work with her again in a heartbeat.”
— Michele Poulos
Password-protected link to animations – contact me for access.