Wouter Dijkstra | frameplay.tv

mens , Media , internationaal , film , Digitale technologie , Audiovisueel

frameplay.tv is the artistic practice of Wouter Dijkstra, animation director and visual artist. I make animated films and visual experiments that sit somewhere between absurd comedy, existential doubt, and social observation. My work invites to look closely, think along, and laugh at things that are not entirely comfortable. It does not offer clear answers, but opens up situations in which doubt, failure, absurdity, and unease can exist side by side. Characters are central to my practice. Through them, I explore complex themes without simplifying them or turning them into moral statements. Humor, awkwardness, and existential weight often collide in my work, allowing me to approach contemporary subjects from unexpected angles. I also use 3D animation and moving image as tools for visual research, testing how digital processes can generate new forms and meanings. Projects have been awarded and selected by festivals such as the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film, Anifilm, and Kaboom Animation Festival, and included in Short Film Pool | EYE and Les in pictures | JEF. I studied at Utrecht University, HKU University of the Arts Utrecht and the NCCA at Bournemouth University, where I completed my master's degree in Digital Effects. My development has been supported by VSBfonds, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, Fundatie van Renswoude, Bournemouth University Academic Scholarship and the Holland Scholarship.

**Physical Effects** - Within Physical Effects I explore what happens when digital simulations are taken out of the digital realm they were originally meant for. Using simulation and 3D printing, I translate visual effects such as water, smoke and wind into physical sculptures. The 3D print gives these digital forms properties such as weight, scale and physical presence, while also changing them: details disappear, forms simplify and new material limitations are introduced. The sculptures can then be brought back into a moving image through stop-motion, creating a process that moves between digital → physical → digital. The research looks at what happens during these translations: what is preserved, what changes, and what is lost along the way.

**Pear Pressure - in development** - A pear refuses to fall from the Tree, breaking away from the script it was meant to follow. What begins as a simple act of resistance unfolds into a theatrical world where control, roles, and meaning start to collapse. Through absurdism, the film explores the tension between imposed narratives and the freedom to deviate.

**Fluid Characters – Visual Research in 3D Animation** - The project investigates new ways to translate character designs from sketch to 3D animation using fluid simulations in Houdini. By utilizing sketches of diverse body types and styles, a procedural workflow is developed that adds movement and dynamics to traditional static designs. In doing so, controlled unpredictable effects and glitches are introduced to stimulate creative exploration. The research combines non-linear simulations, VDB meshes, point deformation, and attribute manipulation to generate unique visual styles and expressive character animations, while retaining the original sketches as a reference. The result is a flexible, experimental process that explores new techniques and design principles within 3D character design, with applications in both autonomous art and technical demonstrations.

**Sisyphos lost his Boulder** - Sisyphos loses his Boulder is an experimental animation and research project in which non-linear 3D simulations are employed as an artistic tool. Starting from simple premises, iterations emerge in which chance, glitch, and failure determine form and meaning. By applying dynamic simulations to a classical narrative, the project explores how absurdism, loss of control, and unpredictability can be visually represented. Unexpected outcomes function not as errors, but as new interpretations, with movement, distortion, and collapse at the center.

**POLARBARRY - LET'S BREAK THE ICE!! - VLOG #207** - Meet influencer, online personality and Internet sensation PolarBarry: The mischievous Polar Bear who knows how to make the North Pole rumble. PolarBarry introduces his followers to the Climate Change debate. VLOG #207 sheds a light on the likeliness that humanity cannot act as a collective.

Pear Pressure

Datum: 01-08-2021 t/m 31-12-2023

Locatie: De Kroon

In samenwerking met: Nederlands Filmfonds

This animated short takes place as an interview from a conceptual world. Peter Singer (Professor of Bioethics “world’s most influential living philosopher”) and Wouter Dijkstra (animation director) talk both from their respective character-role as Tree and Pear. The interview took place in conventional way with the important difference that all answers must come from the perspective of the fictional characters. Their answers correspond to the thoughts and theories they have as a human.

https://frameplay.tv/pear-pressure

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