Showcase

Capturing Movement

Annie Cairns

Profile picture of Annie Cairns

Hi! I am Annie. I have been studying Painting in the UAL Foundation Diploma (2024/2025). I will be progressing to Manchester University to study Religions, Theology and Ethics in September.

Hi! I am Annie. I have been studying Painting in the UAL Foundation Diploma (2024/2025). I will b...

This project explores the way our bodies move in space and how to capture the experience of movement. My inspiration for this project comes from choreographers such as Trisha Brown, Akram Khan and Cristal Pite. I saw Pina Bausch's ‘Vollmond’ which deeply resonated with me. The motion of the dancers was organic, expressive and profoundly human in their powerful fragility which is something I have aimed to emulate.

Final work

I have layered images of a boy, each one slightly off set to the right. He progresses from a crouching position to upright with arms stretched up.

The Stills of Movement

My final piece has come from a set of digital experiments. The combination of layering semi translucent images has culminated in a staggered manipulation of movement and time. The bodies layer, fold and merge into and across one another, creating a blurred texture of sepia and shadows. 

  • I have drawn the negative spaces between bodies in motion. They look like branches from trees emerging from the ground.
  • This is a digital experiment showing myself folded over on the ground. I have used colour filters and inversions to play with composition.
  • These images are charcoal and pencil sketches of a mans back as he lies in the foetal position.
  • Starting with an image of a boy folded over from a crossed legged position, I have repeated the images many times progressively getting lighter.

Research and process

These are pages from my sketchbook showing images from artists and choreographers along side my own sketches.

Sketchbook pages - Trisha Brown, Lucinda Childs, Draw to Perform Collective

These are pages from my sketchbook showing images from Pina Bausch’s ‘Vollmond” along side my own sketches.

Sketchbook pages - Pina Bausch’s ‘Vollmond”

Share this project

Capturing Movement

This project explores the way our bodies move in space and how to capture the experience of movement. My inspiration for this project comes from choreographers such as Trisha Brown, Akram Khan and Cristal Pite. I saw Pina Bausch's ‘Vollmond’ which deeply resonate...

A link to this page has been added to your clipboard

Browse related work