Animation

Perfect In Its Imperfection

In these pixelated animations, one can appreciate the charm of low resolution. In an era accustomed to highly polished animation, such works boldly reveal their imperfections. That very audacious imperfection can, paradoxically, feel liberating.

Much like how a child’s absurd doodle can sometimes feel more appealing than a realistically rendered still life…

Video man, Jack Stauber mainly works on computer-drawn animated music videos and is best known for his use of VHS effects. His childlike drawing style and absurd, contextless narratives make his works iconic. What makes them especially appealing is that they often focus not on conventionally valuable or objective subjects, but on trivial and meaningless moments, which blend perfectly with the low resolution and rough video texture.

In works like Work, where an office worker sings instead of concentrating, or Videoman, where a man trapped inside a screen feels jealous of people who live freely, Stauber captures strangely funny moments rather than serious stories. The fuzzy image quality matches his wavy drawing style, and the noisy voice recordings, which sound as if they were made with a cheap microphone, make the videos even more compelling and authentic. , 2020.

Work, Jack Stauber, 2018.

Same as it ever before immediately caught my attention, and I couldn’t just scroll past the thumbnail. In it, a purple Yoshi walks and dances in a strangely spinning square space, perfectly synced with the repeating rhythm and syllables of The Talking Heads’ Once in a Lifetime.The slightly low resolution and raw editing style seem to amplify its addictive charm even more. , Specter, 2024.

خبزه وطماطيه , which means Tomato and Bread is most striking for its pixelated tomatoes. There is no major storyline, just tomatoes moving and some 2D drawings, yet it conveys an indescribable sense of humor. The absurd context and pixelated scenes come together in a way that leaves an even stronger impression. , Tota greeso, 2008.