Animation Research Network Scotland

The Animation Research Network Scotland has been established to bring together researchers and practitioners working in education and the creative industries. Its purpose is to increase awareness and visibility of the breadth of work in animation and the many related creative industries in Scotland and beyond.

The network will host events and seek collaborative projects within HE/FE and key industry partners. Looking at areas of animation practice, pedagogy, archives, innovation and skills development, they will provide an inclusive space for individuals at all stages of their careers, both educational and professional.

There’s more to animation than meets the eye, no matter how eye-catching its many forms or the ubiquity of a medium that we all think we’re familiar with. The trick film works its magic in the mind as much as the eye, and in the persistence of vision that misleads as much as it astonishes – and which applies equally to the work of practitioners as to the optical illusion that lets us appreciate it. It’s what happens between the frames and beyond the obvious, between the moments of inspiration and in the flicker of recognition, that this new network has been set up to explore – an intervention involving practitioners and educators that attempts to throw light on a medium that’s nothing if not flexible, on an art-form that never stands still.

Alan Mason

Lecturer in Animation

Building on existing expertise from and situated within the Animation department at Edinburgh College of Art (ECA), the team will provide a forum for connection of ideas and outputs. Through events and newsletters they aim to develop a strong network of partners who can support and grow the animation sector in Scotland and work with friends further afield.

Please get in touch with network director Dr Nichola Dobson if you would like more information or to join.

Still from 'Birdwatching' by Holly Summerson, 2019

Work by Calum Main and Gary Wilson, 2019

Study

As well as running the dedicated Animation BA programme, ECA also delivers animation courses through other combined undergraduate degree programmes. We also offer supervision in postgraduate research through the PhD and MPhil programmes within the School of Design.