Job Roggeveen (1979), Joris Oprins (1980), and Marieke Blaauw (1979) met at the Design Academy Eindhoven where they discovered their shared passion for storytelling. To them animation proved to be an ideal medium to unite storytelling and design. Job, Joris & Marieke: “We are happy and honoured to have been asked by the Kunsthal. To us this exhibition is an opportunity to introduce a wide audience to our work in a more profound way and show the Kunsthal visitors how our projects are realised.”
Those entering the world of Job, Joris & Marieke are confronted with impossible events and absurdist scenarios. Job, Joris & Marieke eagerly use the endless possibilities of animation and manage to surprise audiences time and again with their quirky concepts. By imposing apparently impossible concepts on themselves, the makers are constantly challenging themselves. For instance, one moment they may decide to squeeze an ingenious plot with five time journeys into a two-minute production, while the next they think it would be a great idea to make an animated film starring an imaginary friend, or create a series about three friends who exchange heads with the help of a washing machine. In their short, animated films, Job, Joris & Marieke break a silent agreement with the audience: their animations often seem cute and endearing and give the viewer a happy feeling – that is, until something disturbing suddenly happens!
In the first part of the exhibition, the audience can become part of a dynamic world in which a new animation film is brought to life. The experience ‘Nobody’, which was especially developed for the exhibition, tells the story of Florian, an obsessively driven lifestyle Instagrammer who lives for the likes of his followers. But then, one day, he becomes transparent and is suddenly nothing more than a shadow. For ‘Nobody’, Job, Joris & Marieke are experimenting with transposing animated film to a spatial environment for the very first time. By means of video mapping, a technique for projecting the story around the audience, visitors can imagine themselves to be right in the middle of the story.
Visitors will also be introduced to earlier works by Job, Joris & Marieke, such as ‘Mute’ – featuring deafening vocals by rapper Fresku – in which a bloody knife wound forms the point of departure of the animation, and ‘A Single Life’ in which the main character makes a journey through her life with the help of a vinyl 7-inch single. Through the various themes in the exhibition visitors will be able to get inside the heads of the makers. Different elements are examined, like character design, storytelling, use of colour, and music. With the addition of ‘making of’ videos, the audience can experience how the absurdist ideas of Job, Joris & Marieke are brought to life and impact the narrative and the characters. The time-consuming business of animating is always preceded by and extensive creative process.
For the VPRO broadcasting organisation, Studio Job, Joris & Marieke is currently working on an animation series ‘Heads Together!’, based on the short animation film of the same name for which it received the 2018 International Emmy Kids Award. The series will air weekly on NPO Zapp from Sunday 27 February. Read more
14 April 2022 11:00 -
14 April 2022 13:00
On the occasion of the exhibition ‘A Triple Life’, Netherlands’ most talented animation artists Job, Joris & Marieke will give a masterclass in the Kunsthal Auditorium on Thursday 14 April.
