Critical Review:
Artist: Kylen Tombs
Reviewer: Allegra Cheung
Kylen Thombs’s 2D Film “Untitled” is a story about two worlds colliding. Two people from different walks of life find each other and strive to make a connection, weather aware or unaware. The character of Cordy is free spirit surrounded by nature, she represents a kind of innocence. Clarence, the lead male figure is her opposite, lives in the city, enjoying a happy social existence, unaware of the connection he seeks. The story of their meeting is told in a non-linear fashion. The hand drawn animation flows and evolves with the characters. The film has an experimental style, that adds to the narrative. The fluid style of animation featured in Kylen’s film is reminiscent of the film maker, Ryan Larking’s loose hand drawn animation style, in his films “Walking” and “Street Musique.” In “Walking” Ryan uses unexpected camera angles and plays with proportion and distortion of human figures walking. For materials he used watercolours combined with pencil and ink. The over all effect of his unique esthetic style is a sense of poetry created in the mundane act of walking. In “Street Musique,” Ryan employs the techique of morphing images together, creating a sense of motion and constant change. In Kylen’s film she also uses morphing techniques, which give the piece energy and flow. Each character is treated differently, the female character has her own distinct movement, as does the male character. The female character moves in almost fluid motion, while the male character is more rigid. The dynamic use of camera angles pull the viewer into the scene, creating an experience rather than watching from afar. The constant shifting of perspectives implies emotional treatment. Like in Ryan Larkin’s films Kylen’s drawings grow and change within each frame, the viewer is purposefully disoriented, while at the same time is held by that emotional thread that runs through the characters and the story. Kylen inspiration for this piece came largely from listening to a verity of different types of music, from classical, to jazz, to pop music. Her biggest source from inspiration came from Beethoven’s many symphonies.
