A banana unpeels itself, an iPhone explodes — in Joan Kamberaj’s quirky stop-motion animations, anything can happen. The eclectic Albanian artist has undertaken projects for Hermès… and also one that was inspired by Harry Potter. Lemonade talked to him about M.C. Escher, Steve Jobs, and architecture.
What is exciting to you about stop-motion animation?
The most challenging thing is the patience required to create each individual frame. To me, getting lost in a miniature world while playing with characters and objects is a therapeutic activity. After you spend a long time moving elements frame by frame, you press play and it’s almost magical to watch still objects come to life.
Tell me a bit about your #ConnectedByLemonade commission and how you explored the concept of the ‘drip.’
Lemonade approached me with the Covered by Lemonade concept, which I found very clever as a slogan. To artists, the word ‘drip’ is very familiar, as most of us have used paint as a medium at some point. When I read the [creative] brief it was summer, and the first thing that came to my mind was a cocktail glass. I really wanted to create a fun and relaxed-looking visual.
You also make ‘stipple drawings,’ images built from many tiny dots.
Stippling goes back to high school when I was exploring different mediums. It is still one of my favorite ways to draw. Creating an image dot by dot really resembles stop-motion — it’s a way to see the larger picture, piece by piece. Even in nature, if you go really deep you will find yourself looking at microscopic elements like atoms, one of the smallest elements we are able to observe.
Who are some of your creative heroes?
M.C. Escher is one of the artists that I studied early on. His graphic mastery in optical illusion is a great study subject for stop-motion. There are many artists that I would like to mention right now. However, I’ll only mention Steve Jobs, who is one of my strongest influences. His life was a great story of determination and an obsession for detail.
What do you love about Albania, and what is its creative scene like?
Albania is a small country with no major influence. However, there’s an emerging artistic scene that is really inspiring. Vasjen Katro is probably the best Albanian visual designer I know. His work sets a great standard for the local community.
I can’t imagine how much time and care it took to create your fantastical film Abeo — which you made when you were in high school!
I decided to work on a short film as my main portfolio piece to use on my college applications. It took about one year and a half for Abeo to be completed. I created a neighborhood set, 5 by 4 meters, with a functional, wired lighting system for each house and street light lamp. There were also interior sets and character designs. Most of the elements were made by hand, from house bricks to garbage bags, bed sheets, curtains, and trees.
Working on a long project is a great opportunity. Each day is exciting, as you’re creating new things. You can see how a piece of styrofoam transforms into a tree, how liquid latex sets in the molds to become a body part for the puppets.
What advice would you offer to a young artist or animator who is just starting out?
Create using what you have, and don’t worry about the tools. Nowadays most of us have smartphones, which are a great tool! I can’t emphasize that enough. You don’t even need a desktop computer now to create a stop-motion animation. Start with what you have and let your imagination go wild.
If you hadn’t become an artist, what do you think you might be doing with your life right now?
Since I was a kid I believed I would be an architect. As you can see, I still love making miniature houses.
Find more of Joan Kamberaj’s work here, and don’t forget to follow #ConnectedByLemonade!
