As the wave of digital intelligence continues to reshape the boundaries of creative practice, experimental animation, with its distinctive audiovisual language and pioneering spirit of exploration, has emerged as an important medium for returning to the essence of art and engaging with the international artistic frontier. Recently, the 47th session of the "Relentless Melt Experimental Animation Screening and Discussion"was held at Jilin Animation Institute (JAI), featuring Max Hattler, Associate Professor at the School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong, and an internationally acclaimed experimental animation artist. The event offered both an in-depth exploration of the artistic value and possibilities of experimental animation and a meaningful opportunity to promote cross-cultural creative exchange and innovation in animation education. It also provided JAI faculty and students with an academic bridge connecting pioneering international ideas with the local creative landscape.
Max Hattler leads the experimental animation screening and discussion
Experimental animation serves as a laboratory for artistic experimentation, transforming intangible perceptions into compelling audiovisual experiences and opening up new artistic territory between the figurative and the abstract. For decades, Max Hattler has devoted himself to abstract animation, visual music, and audiovisual transformation. His work has gained international recognition for its distinctive aesthetic language and profound philosophical perspectives. The pioneering ideas and selected works he presented at the event not only offered faculty and students an immersive audiovisual experience, but also brought fresh intellectual energy to cross-cultural artistic dialogue.
At the exchange meeting venue
With "image, motion, and transformation" as the central threads of his presentation, Max Hattler introduced the concept of "boundaryless fusion" behind Relentless Melt, which he co-founded. The concept seeks to dissolve four conventional boundaries: those between the figurative and the abstract, image and sound, film and music, and creator and audience. The screening featured a selection of Hattler's representative works alongside new works by students. Moving beyond conventional narratives and characters, the works constructed a pure audiovisual world built upon minimalist dots, lines, and planes, structured through geometric forms and enriched by color, light, and shadow.
Rather than following a storyline, viewers were invited to immerse themselves in the ebb and flow of rhythm and the transformation of visual textures, much as they might experience a symphony. In doing so, they could appreciate the essential beauty of animation as "painting in motion” and “music for the eyes."
Hattler emphasized that creative inspiration often emerges through the exploration of materials and experimentation through trial and error, while carefully chosen constraints can serve as catalysts for creativity. In the age of AI, he encouraged creators to regard artificial intelligence as an equal partner in the creative process, maintaining independent judgment through human-machine collaboration. He also emphasized that the essence of animation education lies in awakening perceptual awareness, cultivating critical judgment, and stimulating creativity. In the age of digital intelligence, a passion for art remains an enduring foundation. Looking ahead, Jilin Animation Institute will continue to develop an animation education and creative practice system that combines a pioneering spirit with a strong humanistic foundation. The university will remain committed to the original pursuit of artistic expression, conveying emotion through authentic creative practice, while maintaining an open perspective and exploring diverse forms of expression beyond conventional boundaries. JAI will continue to promote the mutual enrichment of teaching and research, drawing on academic inquiry to inform creative practice and using professional creative experience to strengthen teaching. By innovating through inheritance and maintaining clear and independent judgment amid rapid technological change, the university will cultivate animation professionals with strong artistic foundations, creative capabilities, and global perspectives. Through these efforts, JAI will continue to explore new pathways for the international expression and distinctive development of experimental animation in China.
