One city, one concept — depicting the cultural fabric of an urban space and exploring new possibilities for experimental animation. To deepen international academic exchange and broaden students’ artistic horizons, Max Hattler, international experimental animation artist and Associate Professor at the School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong, recently visited Jilin Animation Institute to host the Pattern, Motion, Transformation: Experimental Animation Workshop. The event included skills training, outdoor field research, group creation, detailed work critiques and screening sessions, delivering an immersive artistic experience for faculty and students blending cutting-edge international ideas with urban humanistic warmth.
Workshop's site
Centered on his Kinestasis stop-motion photographic technique, Max Hattler guided students to break free from conventional animation thinking focused on characters and narratives. He encouraged them to interpret urban landscapes through an abstract lens, discover unique beauty in ordinary daily life, and explore hidden aesthetics within Changchun’s urban texture. Combining hands-on training, on-site field trips and one-on-one critiques, the workshop unified creative standards and captured ambient urban sounds to build immersive audiovisual experiences. Throughout creation, Max reviewed and commented on works daily to help participants sharpen visual focus and craft distinctive imagery using natural textures.
Changchun Abstractions screening's site
The workshop concluded with the Changchun Abstractions screening and closing ceremony, showcasing experimental animated shorts co-created during the program and discussing localized innovation paths for experimental animation from a global perspective. With striking visual language and emotional expression, the works reflected young creators’ unique understanding of urban culture. Max Hattler highly praised the screened pieces, commending the participants’ creation philosophy rooted in urban life. He noted that extracting artistic language from authentic urban textures reveals diverse ways to merge experimental animation with regional culture, and encouraged students to develop personal artistic voices bridging urban storytelling and animation language. The screening and closing session provided valuable practical experience for future cross-border artistic practice and international teaching collaboration.
This one-week program brought not only technical skills but also reshaped creative thinking and elevated aesthetic vision. Students reflected and grew through hands-on practice, gaining sincere artistic insights.This international animation workshop serves as an excellent practice for innovating experimental animation teaching and facilitating artistic exchange between China and overseas. Going forward, the institute will continue building international academic platforms, advance diverse animation creation and talent training, integrate avant-garde creative concepts with local cultural heritage, uphold the artistic ethos of creating sincerely from life, and explore diversified, international development pathways for Chinese animation.
Group Photo
Refined Student Reflections
Tian Kailing from Class 1, Animation 2023: This one-week workshop completely broke my rigid creative mindset and redefined my understanding of animation. I learned animation has no single formula; it is an inclusive, living interdisciplinary art form with countless expressive possibilities through materials, techniques and ideas. The distinctive Line Boil technique amazed me. Unlike conventional keyframe animation with regulated movement, it creates vivid dynamism through subtle shifts, weight variations and slight line trembling. Adjusting line thickness and frame offsets frame by frame was both challenging and rewarding.
Guo Yu from Class 1, Animation 2023: Fieldwork taught me creation originates from life. While filming in Changchun’s old streets, local residents kindly shared locations and guidance. This urban warmth made me realize art cannot be made behind closed doors. Only by immersing ourselves in the city can we capture genuine inspiration and endow works with warmth. Supported by Max and peers, we broke creative boundaries. The screening of Impressions of Changchun revealed art hidden within ordinary streets. The workshop boosted my practical skills and reshaped my creative philosophy. I will keep exploring and draw inspiration from daily life.
Zhang Youshu from Class 1, Animation 2023: This workshop left me with lasting impressions of Changchun. From documenting textures in old factories to late-night studio sessions refining stop-motion rhythms, every step brought surprises. We abandoned traditional animation logic and used stop-motion and abstract styles to weave Changchun’s industrial heritage and street vitality into films. A city’s warmth can be told frame by frame. Thanks to the mentor’s inspiration and peer brainstorming, I learned strong experimental animation is rooted in local reality.
Bi Jianliang from Class 1, Animation 2023: I once believed animation styles were fixed. This workshop showed me animation expression is rich and varied. I tried Line Boil for the first time. Instead of neat, stable lines, it uses trembling lines between frames to mimic boiling motion. Seemingly freehand strokes carry internal rhythm and emotional power. I stopped prioritizing perfectly clean visuals and learned to control line fluctuations, discovering beauty in irregular movement. This experience widened my vision. I will integrate Line Boil into future works to enrich my animation practice.
