If you have ever had the chance to visit the Luna Festival in Revelstoke, you will have seen the city transform for the night into a weird and wonderful world, imagined by the artists and performers.
Friend and local artist Sarah J Spurr has contributed to the Luna Fest since it began in 2017.
Sarah's installation for this years Luna Fest was a paper cut animation representing the tragic story of Jennie Kiohara, a young Japanese immigrant who came from Karayuki-san to Revelstoke in the early 1900’s. She was violently murdered in 1905, at age 24 and the project aims to honour her story
We caught up with Sarah at an animation workshop she hosted post Luna Fest to talk about the process involved in making the short animation, which I highly recommend watching. While we don't know the full story of what happened to her or what her life was like while she was in Revelstoke she is remembered and honoured with Sarah's beautiful dedication.
It's hard to comprehend the painstaking effort that went into making the animation until you see the process of how it was made. The delicate paper cuttings that were used were on display for us to see, each one a work of art in itself.
Working with the traditional technique of stop-motion animation is something that Sarah had to learn as the project developed, having a multiplane frame built specifically for this project. The camera was set up at the top and the paper cut outs placed in glass lower down. Each movement, the geese flying across the screen, butterflies wings fluttering, the clouds moving, is the result of hours of trail and error. But the result is breathtaking, and shows the commitment and dedication that Sarah puts into her work.
We can't wait to see what Sarah has in store for next years Luna Fest.
