Animator M. Henry Jones In Conversation with Gabriel Don

Animator M. Henry Jones In Conversation with Gabriel Don.

What are Fly’s Eye and lenticular lenses?

            Both of them are plastic lens arrays which project a summation image that can be viewed as three-dimensional. I work with Fly’s Eye more often because it displays the 3D image coherently when you turn it on its side, which lenticular does not.

When did you move to the Lower East Side and what was it like when you arrived?

            I moved to the Lower East Side in September of 1976. I was nineteen years old. I lived on 9th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A, and I was so afraid of Avenue A that I would run to First Avenue every morning. Once I got to First Avenue I would walk up to the School of Visual Arts, which I was attending at the time.

How did you discover animation?

            My eighth grade science teacher Ray Tyson started a film club after school. He put me in charge of renting the short films for the club. While doing this, I discovered the film catalog for Zagreb, an animation studio in Yugoslavia. Their animated films were like nothing I had ever seen before.

Where does Slatherpuss go after the Island of Lost Kites and the Land of Analog?

            Slatherpuss is going to be a member of the VR talent pool. He and I are looking at virtual reality platforms like Oculus Rift and Google Cardboard for our next adventure, in addition to finishing his Fly’s Eye project.

What advice do you have for people who want to work in the arts?

            Develop collaborative skills. Learn to share.

You grew up near Niagara Falls, where Tesla first generated alternating current for the masses. Where do you see the future of technology and power production?

            In sunlight.

Could you share a favorite line from a book?

            “We took a look. We saw a Nook. On his head he had a hook. On his hook he had a book. On his book was‘How to Cook.’ We saw him sit and try to cook. But a Nook can’t read, so a Nook can’t cook. So what good to a Nook is a hook cookbook?”

What does a unicorn represent to you?

            It represents magic.

How are women positioned within the creative industries?

            I go out of my way to work with people who are suited to the task, regardless of gender. I don’t think gender should be an issue on projects.

When you direct and animate music videos, how do you correlate sound and images?

            I associate the images into family groups so that they can be laid on top of the music. I do a similar thing with color: I try to establish a chromatic situation that can reflect the structure of the music.

M. Henry Jones latest show can be found at White Box