Formal Analysis; VJsuave

Jennifer Brandt

VJSuave Bike Projections

Based out of Sao Palo, Brazil, the dynamic duo of Ygor Marotta and Ceci Soloaga (VJSuave) have created a whole new form of digital media. Starting from a simple sketchbook of simplistic figures and intricate nature designs, the pair created a theme of love and nature portrayed in a bustling city scene. What makes this form of animation so unique is not just the way the characters are drawn, but how they portray it to their audience on their media platform.

Their digital platform is like no other; they use a projection monitor to eject their animated shorts onto massive city buildings, walls of houses, and even birds-eye views onto grass. The use of their simplistic animations into digital shorts that is then portrayed on these city walls can catch anyone’s eye; which is the reason why they use this form to get their message across. Large crowds swarm to the colorful, moving creations, and any age group can be engulfed in the beautiful sight.

To involve the audience further, VJSauve have created ways in which children of all ages can interact with their art. One form they had done was putting the projection on the stone ground to allow the children to step on the different animated objects present. Another creative interaction is allowing the children to use the application they use, tagtool, to create their own individual animations. My personal favorite, however, is their use of bikes. Since they were on a tight budget, VJSuave bought bikes that could mobilize the animated projections on the city buildings as they rode by. This astounded me. They mechanically adjusted the bikes to hold the projector and allow for it to be mobile without being plugged in.

This form of a digital platform is so unbelievably cool and innovative to me. These two creators were given no restrictions and had all the freedom in the world to put their art out into society. When they developed the bike system, not only was this a brand new way to portray art, but also it was a whole new type of interaction to their audience. Since they were on bikes, their audience then followed on bikes too. They got to feel and experience exactly what Marotta and Soloaga were feeling, and that isn’t something the average artist can easily accomplish.

When they could afford a more motorized vehicle besides a bicycle, VJSuave rented a high tech truck that carried their projector equipment in the back and allow them to travel speedier down streets. Although this isn’t as “cool” or interactive to the audience, they were able to capture footage of their film animations to share with the Internet; which enabled them to gain an even larger audience more worldwide.

To dive back into the animation itself, my personal favorite short story is the boy trying to find his spirituality; labeled “trip.” It is a short, four-minute animation spread across many different projector backgrounds. The animation is of a boy, (which I later found out was the story of one of the creators) who has lost his way and was looking for a new way back to spirituality. To tell this story, VJSauve used elementary drawn characters and colorful audio. After trying again and again with different religions, the boy finds what seems like a medicine man, who gives him tea to drink. The boy then “trips” and the animation dives into a whole new set of drawings and flamboyant designs that can only be described as a trippy experience.

This way of storytelling put me in a state of awe and complete amazement. Their simple designs were anything but simple. They used their abilities in computer editing to portray a whole new and advanced form of digital media that I believe is the future of animation. To see and experience firsthand was not only eye opening, but also a privilege.