Hand-made Cinema / The Work of Norman McLaren

The University of Edinburgh’s Talbot Rice Gallery is delighted to present 'Hand-made Cinema,' an exhibition celebrating the pioneering work of Scottish artist Norman McLaren (1914 – 1987). Part of the McLaren 2014 programme, 'Hand-made Cinema'celebrates the fluid – almost alchemical – creative processes of this experimental filmmaker and musician, screening examples of his films alongside the physical materials that made them possible.

Norman McLaren engaged with the underlying materials of filmmaking – painting directly on to film and film soundtracks, scratching into celluloid, developing electronic musical compositions from black and white cards and making bespoke equipment. Drawing upon his own technical notes and artist statements throughout, 'Hand-made Cinema' at Talbot Rice Gallery focuses on McLarenʼs abstract works, where his revolutionary techniques were liberated from narrative or figuration, resulting in some of the most innovative works of the last century.

Alongside a selection of his finished films, the exhibition includes McLarenʼs dope sheets – the sketches used by animators to plan their work – and other idiosyncratic drawings and bespoke equipment used to work out new ideas. Coupled with his notes and personal letters he wrote to his parents about his work in different countries, 'Hand-made Cinema' creates a picture of an extraordinary artist and innovator who demonstrated the enduring possibilities of analogue film.

Films featured in the exhibition include 'Begone Dull Care' (1949), made with inks applied to a frameless film- strip and synchronised with Oscar Petersonʼs jazz soundtrack. The film has a distinctive fluidity, representative of the way McLaren would, “always leave as much room as possible for improvisation during the movie-making process”. With 'Mosaic' (1965) McLaren worked out an analogue technique to create a mathematically precise abstract film, rivalling the early computer animation of the same period; electronic music made by engraving in to the soundtrack accompanies the stark abstract patterns. 'Then Synchromy' (1971), arguably the culmination of McLarenʼs experiments, employs a unique system of animated sound. The revolutionary soundtrack, constructed frame by frame by photographing black and white cards, was coloured and transferred to the visual area of the film to make abstract moving images in which you literally see the sound.

ʻThis exhibition represents the biggest examination of McLarenʼs practice during the McLaren 2014 celebrations. We are delighted that McLarenʼs unique artistic achievements have been curated and presented at the Talbot Rice Gallery during his centenary year.ʼ Iain Gardner, McLaren 2014 Artistic Director.

Hand-made Cinema is part of the McLaren 2014 programme and is realised with support of the National Film Board of Canada and the University of Stirling.

Norman McLaren

Norman McLaren, born in Stirling on the April 11th 1914, went on to study Interior Design at The Glasgow School of Art during the 1930ʼs; his enthusiasm for film grew as a member of the student Kinecraft Society. After gaining recognition at the Scottish Amateur Film Festival, McLaren was employed by the General Post Office Film Unit where his discipline as a film maker was forged. After a brief period living in New York at the dawn of World War II, McLaren immigrated to Canada where he was invited to found the Animation Department of the burgeoning National Film Board of Canada, itself celebrating 75 years in 2014. His philosophy of animation as an art of personal expression was to have an enormous influence on animation universally. Many of his short films won International Film Festival Awards, including the Academy Award (Oscar) for 1952ʼs NEIGHBOURS. He has influenced artists, filmmakers and musicians, from Picasso and Truffaut to Lucas and Linklater. He died on January 26th 1987 aged 72.

McLaren 2014

McLaren 2014 is a Programme celebrating the centenary of Norman McLaren. This programme of events explores McLarenʼs life and work with special exhibitions, screenings, workshops and performances in Stirling, Glasgow, Edinburgh and in the rest of the UK, from April to August 2014. Events in Scotland will narrate his formative years in Scotland, following his journey from his birthplace in Stirling, to his student years in Glasgow and his world celebrity as recognised at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. McLaren 2014 is an official Culture 2014 event and part of the Year of Homecoming Scotland 2014 celebrations. The McLaren 2014 Programme has been produced by the Centre for the Moving Image in partnership with the National Film Board of Canada. The McLaren Centenary Film Tour is supported by the BFI, which is awarding funds from the National Lottery, and Film Hub Scotland (which is part of the UK-wide BFI Film Audience Network). www.mclaren2014.com