JONNY CHARLES HARRIS
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About
- HELLO, WELCOME TO MY SITE, WHERE I BRING TOGETHER MY VARIOUS DIFFERENT ONLINE PRESENCES INTO ONE PLACE.
I'M INTERESTED IN VISUAL CULTURE, NEW TECHNOLOGIES, 21ST CENTURY STORY-TELLING AND HOW CREATIVITY CAN HELP US REFLECT UPON AND UNDERSTAND THE WORLD AROUND US.
I RUN A COMPANY CALLED PLAYDEAD AND LECTURE AT ABERTAY UNIVERSITY, THE CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ARTS, GAMES AND MEDIA IN THE UK.
I WRITE A BLOG CALLED we are MUCH WHERE YOU'LL FIND THOUGHTS, NEWS, RESEARCH AND BITS AND PIECES OF MY OWN CREATIVE WORK AND EXPERIMENTS.
A CROSS PLATFORM DIGITAL STORY TELLING WORLD THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY EVOLVING AT PLAYDEAD IS:
DEEP//INTO//THE//FUTURE
I'M ALSO INVOLVED IN THE CHARITY PHUNZIRA, WHERE I AM A TRUSTEE MEMBER.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO CHAT OR ASK ME ANYTHING PLEASE GET IN TOUCH.
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Tweets
- PLEASE SPONSOR ME! (If I raise over £500 I will run the half marathon in full mountain gear). https://t.co/YP4OUWQ25nApr 23, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Please sponsor me! I'm fundraising for Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team using @JustGiving. Check out my page #JustGiving http://t.co/NydmzFY7nE
- @Pippa_Frith The big wheel keeps on turning... x
- Check out the NEW Playdead Spring 2013 motion graphics showreel! https://t.co/uce6JxSMUY
- Playdead wish you a very Merry, Rock N'Roll Christmas! https://t.co/HspzqZiN
- Check out our recent public art installation "Before I Die..." at The Hidden Lane festival 2012!... http://t.co/qtcwn4Q9Jun 29, 12 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- It's been a busy few months! The sun is shining (kind of!) so check out our new Summer 2012 reel on our homepage! http://t.co/GsXOFgtBMay 16, 12 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- we are MUCH. http://t.co/JzmNIJbV
- Check out this experimental animation of our Playdead logo! http://t.co/DGZ4nCAs
- Please help friends raise funds and realise their beautiful animation music video idea! http://t.co/sTFiiU70
- Keep up to date with my blog http://t.co/Jkpa7WkU - recently updated with a few bits and pieces that have caught my ey…http://t.co/Jkpa7WkU
- Just published a short story I've written called "Red". Read it on my blog http://t.co/wAv7RfzP
- Check out a new project that I'm evolving http://t.co/XcGWm5TB http://t.co/TPkV5row
- we are MUCH. http://t.co/OEwiMRCk
- Check out a video installation we've just finished working on http://t.co/sAT32ENwApr 04, 12 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- I have a new blog. Check it out here http://t.co/Jkpa7WkU http://t.co/Jkpa7WkU
- I have a new personal website, bringing together my various online presences into one place. Check it out here http://t.co/7S6PucXf
- Are any ideas truly original or is it all a journey together? http://t.co/iZ4KbhCQ via @guardian
- we are MUCH. http://t.co/MsjbLkAC
- Love this video, very poetic and beautiful http://t.co/GtCgesnC
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Info
- Motion Graphics, Animation & Creative DirectionAnimation | Glasgow, United Kingdom, GBSummarySpecialties: Motion Graphics, Creative Direction, Creative DevelopmentExperience
- Sept 2011 - PresentCo-Founder & Director / Playdead Ltd.
Playdead bring projects to life by creating beautiful moving image work.
We specialise in 2D & 3D motion graphics, live action, animation and compositing for a wide range of broadcast, advertising and production clients, across the UK, Europe and America.
- Dec 2011 - Sept 2012Visiting Lecturer - Persuasive Narrative - Institute of Arts, Media and Games / University of Abertay Dundee
- Sept 2011 - Dec 2011Visiting Lecturer - Kinetic Illustration - 3rd Year - Visual Communication / University of Abertay Dundee
- Nov 2007 - Sept 2011Freelancer / Jonny Charles Harris
Motion Graphics & Animation
- Apr 2010 - Apr 2011Animation Creative and Internship Trainer / Twig
Over the course of a year I designed and created 65 short 1-2 minute animation films. These form part of the world's first video encyclopedia for schools that Twig are in the process of making. As well as this, I ran an internship programme with Abertay University, Dundee, giving their degree students an opportunity to gain industry experience and develop their film-making and animation skills.
- Jun 2006 - Nov 2007Creative Director / Arias UK
My role was to creatively lead and direct a number of digital media projects, liaising with clients and organising the creative team. We were based within The Sanctuary Post Production House in Soho London, so this also involved working across several departments. Clients included Warners, Sony BMG, Polydor, Pet Shop Boys, Oasis and BBC.
- Jun 2004 - Jun 2006Head Of Design / Richmond Studios
My role was to lead a team of designers to create animated DVD menus for the film, music and entertainment industries. Over the space of 2 years I worked on 50+ projects and won several DVDA awards for our work with Cirque Du Soleil.
Education-
2003 - 2004London Guildhall UniversityMA Merit in The Digital Moving Image
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2000 - 2003The Manchester Metropolitan University2.1 in BA Contemporary Arts
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1997 - 1999Leeds Art CollegeA Level in Photography
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1997 - 1999Park Lane College, LeedsA Level in Business Studies and Psychology
Additional Information-
Websites:
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Posts
Adventures in Malawi…
Sorry for the lack of posts recently! Things have been pretty manic. For a couple of weeks in May, I headed out to Malawi to visit a community learning centre called “Nyumba Ya Masambiro” a project by UK based charity Phunzira that I’m involved in. I was delivering a hard drive with 600 science films, kindly donated by education company Twig World and worked with local artists to paint a giant sign on the side of one of the classrooms.
I wrote a journal whilst I was there and thought I’d post 3 days worth of it to share… more photos, videos and pictures coming soon!
3 Days In the Life Of A Volunteer at Nyumba Ya Masambiro…Sunday 20th May 2012
Woke up early, around 5.30am after a night at The Butterfly Space in Nkhata Bay and loaded up the boat ready to set off up Lake Malawi. The previous day, we had arrived on the bus from Lilongwe.
We were going to get the large ferry up the lake (which usually takes around 5 hours to get to Ruarwe), but by chance we had bumped into a friend the night before and managed to hitch a lift, as he was heading up the lake in a smaller boat. After the flight and bus, this was the third and final part of the journey to get to the village of Ruarwe and to the learning centre “Nyumba Ya Masambiro.”
As we set off out into the lake, the sun was just beginning to come up and the water was incredibly still. Lake Malawi stretched off far into the distance and looked more like a vast sea. It was very beautiful. In between the luggage and spare fuel, we sat back and watched the world go by as we made our way up the shoreline. There were lots of small villages along the way, with a few people out and about in small dug out boats. In between the villages, crops lined the hillsides, soaking up the morning sunshine as well as us!
The journey took around 3 hours. We pulled into “Zulunkhuni River Lodge” (our accommodation for the duration of our stay) at around 10am and Rosa was there to meet us off the boat. The lodge is built into the hillside and consists of around 6 buildings: a hand full of separate wooden sleeping chalets and a dorm, all built in a traditional local style with thatched roofs. We headed to the eating area and had some breakfast.
After sorting out our rooms, we jumped into the lake for a swim. It was crystal clear, and we plucked up the courage to climb up on a giant rock and jump off. There are also a couple of waterfalls nearby so we took a walk up there to see those. We sat around and chatted, and met the staff running the lodge. Ended up crashing out pretty early. There’s no electricity at the lodge, so it seemed like the natural thing to do! It was a very peaceful nights sleep, with just the sound of the lapping waves gently hitting the shoreline outside.
Monday 21st May 2012
Woke up early around 6am and managed to motivate myself to go for an early morning swim in the lake. An amazing way to start the day!
I had hash browns and eggs for breakfast cooked by the River Lodge’s staff, and then set off walking with everyone to the learning centre. The path runs along the coastline and took us around 20 minutes. Along the way, we passed a few houses and practiced some local greetings so we could say hello and good morning/evening. I’m pretty useless at languages but after a repeating them a few times like a parrot, I managed to pick them up! It was already fairly hot, and the skies were clear blue. Not a cloud in sight! The approach into the village runs along a beautiful sandy beach with a few fishing boats on the shore.
Walking though the village, everyone was already up and about and we said hello as we walked through. Everyone was very friendly. The village was actually slightly bigger than I thought, with around 50 – 70 houses. The centre is based on the far side of the village, so we had to walk all the way through and come out the other side.
The vegetation was much more lush than I thought it would be - almost tropical looking with a scattering of palm trees. It was just coming out of the rainy season - but even though it contradicted my preconceptions. There’s a kitchen area where all the staff sit and eat together, so we went there and drank some water. To start off the day, we did a voluntary “stretch” session with one of the locals, Samson - consisting of all the staff laying mats down in one of the classrooms and dancing around like we were back at play school, copying whatever action Samson was doing. It was great to get the blood flowing and also all do something together at the start of the day. After we’d finished, Samson did another couple of sessions for anyone who wanted to join in from the village.
After catching our breaths, for the rest of the morning Naomi and I decided to test the science films that we’d brought over, to see if they worked okay on the couple of laptops in the library. They all seemed to work fine, which was great news. On the coming Thursday, we’d arranged for 70 children from a local school to head down and watch a handful of the films being projected in the library and at the same time register them so that they can use the library. The learning centre has 2 solar panels, the only electricity in the area, so we also arranged for the laptops to be charged.
For lunch we all sat around a table in the kitchen area and had a simple meal of rice and beans that was delicious. I was pretty ravenous so absolutely wolfed it down. After lunch, Rosa, Jonny and myself climbed up one of the hills by the side of the centre. I wanted to take a few pictures looking down on the buildings and it’s also the only place that has any kind of phone reception!
Amazingly at the top of the hill, there’s a football pitch where the local teams play each other. They weren’t there, but in their place were a couple of mischievous monkeys! By the time we got back down from the hill, it was time for Youth Club. First off Phoebe, Gemma and Georgie (the volunteer doctors from the health centre), did a session about HIV, and used some inventive and creative ways to talk about the subject. Afterwards, the hula-hoops came out and everyone got involved at some stage. I was pretty rubbish, much to the amusement of the children.
We left the centre around 5.30pm and began the walk back to Zulunkhuni River Lodge along the coastal path. I went for another swim in the lake and headed to the eating area for dinner. Some people chose to cook their own food in the outdoor cooking area or you could order dinner from the kitchen. Every evening, they cook something different, depending on what’s available. Tonight it was Mexican with a mound of fresh avocado’s tomatoes and tortillas. It was all delicious and fresh and hats off to the kitchen staff! It was really nice to all sit around together and chat. Everything was lit by candlelight, and it made a refreshing change not to have phones bleeping and going off. After dinner some people played board games and read books with a cheeky rum and coke in hand.
I crashed out early (again) around 9ish, and was ready for a sound night’s sleep.
Tuesday 22nd May 2012
Woke up around 6.30am. The lake was a bit rougher today, so decided to give the morning swim a miss and head straight for breakfast. I had home-made waffles, tomatoes and beans. They grow coffee beans up on the hillside, and roast their own, therefore making it absolutely amazing - though very strong! A couple of cups and your brain runs at twice the speed, which for me is probably helpful… I’m not the greatest morning person. Naomi and I walked into Ruarwe and managed to greet the local people along the way. We bumped into Joe, a local artist, who was patiently untangling a fishing net on the beach. He wandered into the village with us. It was hot already, so it was good to do the walk early. We both sat down and hatched a plan, to paint the sign for “Nyumba Ya Masambiro” on the side of one of the classrooms and then did another stretch session with Samson and the rest of the staff.
The centre was slightly quieter today, so Joe and I cracked on with sketching the outlines for the words NYM. We couldn’t find a ruler large enough, so we ended up using a broom handle to draw the straight lines! It took us the whole morning to draw out the giant letters. We borrowed the ladders from the newly constructed chicken coup to get up to the higher areas.
We rested for lunch again around midday and sat around in the shade out of the hot sun. In the afternoon we started to colour in the art piece, and a few more people from around the centre joined in which was fun. There were a few children around from the nearly primary school, so we played some ball games and of course a bit more hula-hooping!
There was a women’s group in the afternoon, meeting in one of the classrooms so a couple of volunteers sat in on that. The gardeners were busy away tending to the multitude of plants and crops being grown in the centre’s gardens. Everything is being designed so it doesn’t need any pesticides or chemicals, using permaculture techniques, with some impressive results!
I’d been invited by a couple of the local footballers to go up onto the hill and watch one of their practices, so around 4pm, I once again climbed the hillside. Joe came with me and we sat and watched the teams play.
After an hour or so, we headed back down the hill. Juliana (one of the other volunteers - working in the gardens) was up there making a phone call, so we all walked back through the village and to the lodge together, with the usual greetings along the way. After a quick dip in the lake, we all sat down and had dinner. Vegetable curry was on the cards and was once again delicious. After a few rounds of cards, and once the sun had gone down, I made my way to bed. Another busy, productive day at Nyumba Ya Masambiro!
Following on from the Sherry Turkle TED talk on the post below, I stumbled across this article. Touching on similar themes, it questions our relationship with technology and how it can be used most productively - which sometimes may mean disconnecting from it and finding more of a balance…
I saw this TED talk “Connected, But Alone” by Sherry Turkle a few weeks ago. I’ve been holding off posting it until I find ample time to write some in depth thoughts, as it made me think so much!
Unfortunately I’ve still not found time but thought it’s a shame if I don’t post it and share because of that reason. It’s a very interesting take on our relationship with technology now and how this may change our future connections with each other and the world around us. I read her book “Life On A Screen” over 10 years ago when I was studying my arts degree and it had a profound effect on my final projects and exhibitions.
This video is well worth a watch and it’s inspiring to see Sherry Turkle is still challenging us with her thoughts.
A brilliant piece of collaborative video work by Aberdeen based artist Sam Spreckley with the super talented Urkelle (Steve Mensink).. produced for the release of Ondergrond - LOMEK021.
Here’s an interesting teaser for a project called Outliers based in Iceland by Scenic Studio.
I found this underwater video: Paris - The Cross Over on Fubiz the other day. In the comments it has received a little criticism for not being that original and for the post production not quite being up to scratch, but either way, I don’t think that you can disagree that the lighting in it is rather beautiful.
Quite simply stunning! If you have a 2 minutes to spare, sit back and watch this moving image piece called The Space We Live In by Matthias Müller in HD. It will blow your mind!
An interesting and thought provoking essay in The Guardian about originality and collaboration.
- RED
Here’s a short story that I wrote a while ago. Finally got around to publishing it. I’m hoping to turn it into a short film moving image piece at some point…
RED – A Story Of Colour and Intrigue
Flash of red. Red flash. Nothing unusual. Except that. Red flash. Flash of red. Then the emotion. Seething, terrible, rolling emotion. The over whelming sense of hatred. Churning of the stomach and then the burst of a million pins that tumble their way haphazardly around my veins. What? Red Flash. Did I imagine that the whole world turned red? Only for a split second. Then gone. Normal again.
A few days pacing and the allure of the moment growing. Life suddenly felt different. Different in a way kept the mundane interesting and the boring subdued and unused. The first moment that the world turned red dominated me. I hated the feeling but longed for that feeling again. That feeling of pure red anger. Of seeing hatred. Being its silent onlooker. The shadow that sees all but says nothing.
I’ve never been an angry person. I’ve never felt that flash of red that some people say they see before lashing out. Lashing out with human rawness when actions become reactions and instinct takes hold.
At first it seemed a gift. The ability to see flashes. Flashes of other people’s anger as emotions tumble spill and fall into reality. The lorry driver and the over zealous parking attendant. The mother and the mischievous naughty girl. The husband and wife sat in silence over dinner. The ability to feel and experience other people’s emotions in such a vivid fiery way. Don’t touch it’s hot. Then the touch just to see. Exactly the same. The intrigue and the deadly attraction, even with detrimental consequences. Roaming the streets just to find that rush of emotion. That tiny moment that I was defining the edge of my own existence on and gaining such a thrill.
I just didn’t think at the time. I didn’t think that I could be a victim of my own intrigue. I thought I was immune from the anger. I could play the harmless game from the sidelines. Feel but not participate. Witness the bloody execution but not get my hands dirty.
Over the space of 4 months the red tint became more frequent. As soon as I stepped outside. There it was. Cut. Slice. Slash. The centre of my pupils more dilated than if a 1000-watt bulb had been switched on violently after years of smoldering darkness. How could the world be so angry at 7.30am? Surely there has been no time for the emotion to manifest, increase and then erupt. The screech of the car brakes. The slam of the front door. The muttering local lunatic at ill with society.
The real turning point happened in the night. Night time was usually an escape from the red. Reassuring space in between fright and flight. Time to lose and escape. Then. Flash of red. Red flash. Everything unusual. Awake. Frightened. Scared. Confused. Disorientated. I stumbled to the bathroom and threw up the remains of last night’s dinner. Dinner in the restaurant as the chef shouted abuse at the timid waitress. The red blasts of light as she absorbed the onslaught. It had never ever staged an appearance in my subconscious before. How could it? I never felt angry. If I never felt angry then how could I see red when on my own? I lay awake with just the sound of my heart echoing through my body. Trembling with an anxious stream of thought.
The effect of the first night time flash quickly grew and gathered pace until reaching a catastrophic level 10 days later. A numbing catastrophic level. The flashes of red had grown in length and strength. First 5 seconds. Then 15. Then 2 minutes. A full hour – the dial turned up to max. Full power. Disturbed sleep. No sleep. Awake. The blocks of normal colour that had sandwiched and held the quick red flashes became slithers themselves, surrounded by a sea of red.
Anger all the time. Red all the time.
© 2012 Jonny Charles Harris
A beautiful animation by Saskia Kretzschmann based on the quotation by Edgar Allan Poe.
“The boundaries which divide life from death are the best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?”
Love how the animation goes full circle and ends where it starts.
- Rumblings Down Under...
A friend of mine Sarah Tierney (BAFTA award winner 2011 for The Walking Wounded) has just moved to Australia to work on a project called FORM. It’s hugely ambitious and exciting for the creative industries. It’s always interesting to see what’s going on around the world. You can keep up to date with Sarah’s blog HERE. I’m sure they’ll be lots of interesting posts popping up!
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Posts
Does being in the confines of a city, without space to breathe, breed anger? What if this anger could be seen visually by blasts of red colour?
RED – A Story Of Colour and Intrigue
Flash of red. Red Flash. Nothing Unusual. Except that. Red Flash. Flash of Red. Then the emotion. Seething, terrible, rolling emotion. The over whelming sense of hatred. Churning of the stomach and then the burst of a million pins that tumble their way haphazardly around my veins. What? Red Flash. Did I imagine that the whole world turned red? Only for a split second. Then gone. Normal again.
A few days pacing and the allure of the moment growing. Life suddenly felt different. Different in a way kept the mundane interesting and the boring subdued and unused. The first moment that the world turned red dominated me. I hated the feeling but longed for that feeling again. That feeling of pure red anger. Of seeing hatred. Being its silent onlooker. The shadow that sees all but says nothing.
I’ve never been an angry person. I’ve never felt that flash of red that some people say they see before lashing out. Lashing out with human rawness when actions become reactions and instinct takes hold.
At first it seemed a gift. The ability to see flashes. Flashes of other people’s anger as emotions tumble spill and fall into reality. The lorry driver and the over zealous parking attendant. The mother and the mischievous naughty girl. The husband and wife sat in silence over dinner. The ability to feel and experience other people’s emotions in such a vivid fiery way. Don’t touch it’s hot. Then the touch just to see. Exactly the same. The intrigue and the deadly attraction, even with detrimental consequences. Roaming the streets just to find that rush of emotion. That tiny moment that I was defining the edge of my own existence on and gaining such a thrill.
I just didn’t think at the time. I didn’t think that I could be a victim of my own intrigue. I thought I was immune from the anger. I could play the harmless game from the sidelines. Feel but not participate. Witness the bloody execution but not get my hands dirty.
Over the space of 4 months the red tint became more frequent. As soon as I stepped outside. There it was. Cut. Slice. Slash. The centre of my pupils more dilated than if a 1000-watt bulb had been switched on violently after years of smoldering darkness. How could the world be so angry at 7.30am? Surely there has been no time for the emotion to manifest, increase and then erupt. The screech of the car brakes. The slam of the front door. The muttering local lunatic at ill with society.
The real turning point happened in the night. Night time was usually an escape from the red. Reassuring space in between fright and flight. Time to lose and escape. Then. Flash of red. Red flash. Everything unusual. Awake. Frightened. Scared. Confused. Disorientated. I stumbled to the bathroom and threw up the remains of last night’s dinner. Dinner in the restaurant as the chef shouted abuse at the timid waitress. The red blasts of light as she absorbed the onslaught. It had never ever staged an appearance in my subconscious before. How could it? I never felt angry. If I never felt angry then how could I see red when on my own? I lay awake with just the sound of my heart echoing through my body. Trembling with an anxious stream of thought.
The effect of the first night time flash quickly grew and gathered pace until reaching a catastrophic level 10 days later. A numbing catastrophic level. The flashes of red had grown in length and strength. First 5 seconds. Then 15. Then 2 minutes. A full hour – the dial turned up to max. Full power. Disturbed sleep. No sleep. Awake. The blocks of normal colour that had sandwiched and held the quick red flashes became slithers themselves, surrounded by a sea of red.
Anger all the time. Red all the time.
© 2012 Jonny Charles Harris
On the 31st of March at Glasgow’s Lighthouse, we launched DEEP//INTO//THE//FUTURE at The Lighthouse in Glasgow. Playdead created an immersive video installation “Transcend” using light projections on giant white balloons, hovering in the air, above a conceptual city made of old mechanical equipment, penned in by a giant metal fence.
“Transcend” aims to question our relationship with space within a city by allowing the viewer to float above the hustle and bustle – transcending out of the chaos for a minute or two, pausing still and taking some time out. It also raises the question about the continuous CCTV video surveillance encountered within the city environment, capturing our identities and movements.
“I dream that one day, we’ll be gazing down from high above. I hope that one day, we’ll make it out of here. Our minds and bodies floating free, exploring the space around us. But it’s not looking promising. For now anyway…”
