Print in Motion Winner: Medusa in Fragments

With so much stunning work being produced in the world of motion graphics these days, we wanted to invite the field’s artists to show off a bit. And so Print in Motion was born. We approached the competition with no real parameters other than to feature the most interesting and innovative work we could find, and to build a forum for designers eager to see—and be inspired by—what their peers are doing.

We received many worthy entries, but eventually we whittled them down to 10 standouts, starting with this great piece titled Medusa in Fragments. You can view them all on Imprint over the next two weeks. (It’s also not too late to register for next year’s Regional Design Annual.)

Entry Title: Medusa in FragmentsDesign Firm: Brent BarsonClient Company Name: Steven Ricks, ComposerProduction Company: Ethan Vincent, Exile Productions, http://exileproductions.comCreative Director: Steven Ricks, Stephen TuttleArt Director: Brent BarsonAnimator: Brent BarsonDesigner: Brent BarsonCompositing: M3D Artists:Music composer: Steven RicksText: Stephen TuttlePianist: Keith Kirchoff

Description of workThese are the projected graphics for a multimedia, live piano, & electronics performance that premiered in Toronto, Canada, and has played in several US cities and in Ghent, Belgium. A collaborative effort between composer Steven Ricks, writer Stephen Tuttle, pianist Keith Kirchoff, and media designer Brent Barson, the story is a non-traditional, sympathetic retelling of the Medusa myth. The typographic interpretation reflects a reverence for her tragic experiences. It is symbolic of her death, and told from her point of view, as she languishes in the underworld looking up at the stars, reflecting on the characters and events that affected her life.

ARTIST’S BIOS:

Steven L. Ricks (b. 1969) received his early musical training as a trombonist in Mesa, AZ. He holds degrees in composition from Brigham Young University (BM), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (MM), and the University of Utah (PhD), and also received a Certificate in Advanced Musical Studies from King’s College London in 2000. His May 2008 Bridge Records release Mild Violence has received numerous favorable reviews, including a five-star review in BBC Music Magazine. His commissions and awards include a 2010 Fromm Music Foundation Commission, four Barlow Endowment commissions, and awards from Meet the Composer.

Ricks is currently an Associate Professor in the BYU School of Music where he directs the Electronic Music Studio. For more information visit: www.stevericks.com

Stephen Tuttle joined the faculty of Brigham Young University in 2006, the same year he completed his PhD in Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Utah. He teaches courses in creative writing, fiction writing, and American literature.

As a writer, he focuses on short fiction, and his stories have appeared in Crazyhorse, Black Warrior Review, The Gettysburg Review, Indiana Review, The Colorado Review, and other venues.

Brent Barson graduated from Brigham Young University in 1997 with a BFA in Graphic Design. He graduated from Art Center College of Design with an MFA in Media design in 2003, which led him to his current post as an assistant professor in BYU’s Graphic Design department. He creates websites and interfaces, corporate identities, posters, and all other forms of design, but his first love is creating motion graphics. He has created the opening titles to a variety of independent films, as well as all motion graphics for the Typophile Film Festival for the last five years. For more, see www.brentbarson.com

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