Industrial Culture

Joanna Polak (* 1978) studied visual arts at the Maria-Curie-Skłodowska-University in Lublin and later completed her studies in animation films at the Art Academy in Poznań. Animated films form the main focus of her artistic work, since 1998 she has made over twenty animated short films. Polak mostly uses the “Computer Silhouette” technique, which combines classic silhouette-animations with 2D-computer-animations. Her films have been shown at over fifty international festivals and have also won numerous prizes, e.g. in Krakow and Philadelphia. Alongside her work as a filmmaker, she is also active in the fields of photography, painting and video installations. Furthermore she also works at the Maria-Curie-Skłodowska-University as a lecturer for animation film. I just found documentary entitled „Animating Reality presents Joanna Polak author of a few dozen animated films and winner of a number of international festivals. Joanna Polak creates unique and original animations using a very laborious and time-consuming cutout technique. We accompany her while she is searching for inspiration in everyday life: houses, streets, journeys by bus, the city, her work at university and as a volunteer. In the process of creation the impressions of reality become free. We are witnessing the beautiful process of making paper come to life, first by destroying it tearing, cutting and creasing and then by animating it. For Joanna animation is an alternative reality in which she, bound by no limitations, can portray the circumstances in which modern people find themselves. Joanna organizes presentations of her films for the homeless, the lonely and social outcasts. By means of her films she is trying to influence their views and actions and to make them sensitive to the world around them, to fellow human beings as well as to themselves.

So, there are two parts of mentioned programme from youtube:





And one of my favorite works titled Garbus [Hunchback] from 2003


Joanna Polak Official Website