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The Gallery at the Arts Institute at Bournemouth will be exhibiting works by Academy Award-winning animator Bob Godfrey MBE. âBob Godfrey Satire Surrealism Sex', curated by Professor Suzanne Buchan, Director of the Animation Research Centre (ARC), UCCA Farnham. The exhibition runs from the 14th July 22nd August and explores three themes in works of one of Britain's most successful animation directors. Godfrey's career spans almost 60 years, moving between commercial and independent filmmaking, and his artistic work reflects both political and stylistic currents of these eventful decades.
For many of his fans, the animation films of Australian-born, Bob Godfrey are insightful, often hilarious satires of the essence of 'Britishness'. Although he is best known in the UK for his hugely popular Roobarb and Henry's Cat series, Godfrey's internationally acclaimed, award-winning talents are expansive, ranging from humane, humorous tales of erotic obsessions to biting political satire and brilliantly simple series. He also directed work spanning music promos, commercials, short films and even the Oscar winning film Great, based on the life of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
Like many other animators, Godfrey's filmmaking involves enormous amounts of developmental artworks and production materials. In addition to films and original painted cels on display, visitors will have unprecedented access to the creative process of Bob Godfrey and his studio artists that culminates in his films. The exhibition presents a thematic selection satire, surrealism, sex chosen from thousands of artefacts (drawings, sketches, storyboards, photographs, cutouts, documents, multilayer cels, production equipment) from the extensive Bob Godfrey Collection at the Animation Research Centre's ARC Archive, University College for the Creative Arts, Farnham, UK (www.ucreative.ac.uk/arc).
The exhibition explores political, historical and sexual themes that run strongly through Godfrey's films, while at the same time revealing to visitors the complex techniques and the creative and art-based processes of animation pre-production that result in the finished films.
Curated by Professor Suzanne Buchan, Director of the Animation Research Centre and curatorial assistants Seymour Lavine and Aaron Wood. We are grateful to Bob Godfrey and his family and for support from the University College for the Creative Arts at Farnham, Animation Unlimited Conference 2008 and text+work, The Gallery at the Arts Institute at Bournemouth.
