Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis investigates stop motion animation as a form of socially engaged visual storytelling. It aims to expand commonly held perceptions that associate animation with the mass media and entertainment industries by investigating three non-industry related contexts: the artist studio, the classroom and the community. In each respective context the coauthoring of stop motion animation was employed as a means to promote collaboration between artists, students and members of the public. This was intended to encourage participants to share their stories regardless of language differences, contrasting levels of academic development and diverse socio-cultural backgrounds. Thus, animation making provided a means of promoting inclusivity through active participation and visual communication. This process is perceived as valuable in a South African context where eleven official languages and a diversity of cultures and ethnicities tend to obstruct an integrated society. My fundamental argument is that animation can be used as a tool to facilitate the materialisation, dissemination and archiving of stories whilst promoting the creative agency of the storyteller. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis ondersoek stop-aksie animasie as ‘n tipe van sosiaal-geaktiveerde visuele vertelkuns. Die studie is daarop gerig om algemene aannames oor animasie – wat animasie assosieer met die massamedia en die vermaaklikheidsindustrie – te verbreed deur drie nienywerheidsverbonde kontekste te ondersoek: die kunstenaar se ateljee, die klaskamer en die gemeenskap. In elk van die onderskeie kontekste word die gesamentlike skepping van die stop-aksie animasie gebruik as ‘n manier om samewerking tussen kunstenaars, studente en die algemene publiek te bevorder. Die doel is om deelnemers aan te moedig om hul stories te deel, ongeag taalverskille, verskillende vlakke van akademiese ontwikkeling, en diverse sosio-kulturele agtergronde. Daarom verskaf die skepping van animasie ‘n geleentheid om samewerking te bevorder deur aktiewe deelname en visuele kommunikasie. Die proses word veral in die Suid Afrikaanse konteks as waardevol beskou, waar elf amptelike tale, asook ‘n diversiteit van kulture en etniese groepe, dikwels die skep van ‘n geïntegreerde samelewing belemmer. My hoofargument is dat animasie met vrug gebruik kan word as ‘n metode om die skepping, disseminasie en argivering van stories te fasiliteer en terselfdertyd ook die kreatiewe rol van die storieverteller aan te moedig.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis investigates the significance of stop motion puppetry as an artistic device that enables illustrators to explore the notion of the ‘grotesque’. Mikhail Bakhtin and Wolfgang Kayser’s theorisation of the grotesque provides the foundation for my analysis of the manifestation of the grotesque in the puppets and stop motion techniques utilised in Jan Švankmajer’s Something from Alice (1988) and a selected film from my own work entitled Bad Man He Comin’ (2011). A comparative study of these two films demonstrate that stop motion puppetry is an apt medium for facilitating and exploring forms of the grotesque. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die klem in hierdie tesis val op die belangrikheid van stop-aksie poppespel as ‘n artistieke toestel wat kunstenaars kan gebruik om idees van die groteske weer te gee deur die gebruik van objekte sowel as die destruktiewe aard van die animasie proses. Mikhail Bakthin en Wolfang Kayser se idees rondom the groteske, vestig die grondslag vir die studie, om karaktereienskappe van die groteske te ontbloot in die poppe en metodes wat gebruik is in Jan Švankmajer se film Something from Alice (1988), sowel as ‘n geselekteerde film van my eie werk genaamd Bad Man He Comin’ (2011). ‘n Vergelykende studie, weerspieël dat groteske karakteruitbeelding verkry kan word deur sekere materiale te gebruik om poppe-liggame te skep. Die studie ontul verder dat die groteske geïdentifiseer kan word in die animasie proses waarin die verwronging en afbreking van objekte, tyd, spasie en beweging plaasvind.

As a doctoral student, I was asked to teach a course based on emerging technologies and postmodern methods of inquiry in the field of art education. The course was titled Issues and Applications of Technology in Art Education and I developed a method of inquiry called animated autoethnography for pre-service art educators while teaching this course. Through this dissertation, I describe, analyze, interrogate, value, contextualize, reflect on, and artistically react to the autoethnographic animated processes of five pre-service art educators who were enrolled in the course. I interviewed the five participants before and after the creation of their animated autoethnographies and incorporated actor-network theory within the theoretical analysis to study how the insights of my students’ autoethnographies related to my own animations and life narratives. The study also examines animated autoethnography as a method of inquiry that may develop or enhance future teaching practices and encourage empathic connections through researching the self. These selected students created animations that accessed significant life moments, personal struggles, and triumphs, and they exhibited unique representations of self. Pre-service art educators can use self-research to create narrative-based short animations and also use socio-emotional learning to encourage the development of empathy within the classroom. I show diverse student examples, compare them to my own animations, and present a new model of inquiry that encourages the development of self by finding place in chaos, loving the unknown, embracing uncertainty, and turning shame into a celebration of life.