Transfigurations: Reanimating the Past is the creation of artist David Lebrun. It is the culmination of decades of work in documentary and animated film, grounded by his background in philosophy and anthropology, and driven by his experimental uses of media technology.

This exhibition at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art is part of a larger project of over 100 animation pieces tracing universal human-made forms across four world regions and across time from the Lower Paleolithic to the late Middle Ages. The animations, ranging from glacially slow morphing to rhythmic pulses of transformation to rapid cascades of images, bring ancient forms to vivid life.

Transfigurations is an exploration of our common humanity, encouraging visitors to explore, through the handwork of ancient artisans, parallels and echoes across time and cultures.

Throughout history, artists and artisans around the world have created work based on highly traditional, specific forms. Objects from tools and coins to figurines, sculptures, and temple entrances are made in formalized ways, exhibiting a visual vocabulary understood by the artists and their communities.

Transfigurations: Reanimating the Past explores objects made in the Paleolithic era, and in ancient cultures of Mesoamerica, Europe, the Middle East and Indian Asia, tracing themes and variations over thousands of years, from early agricultural societies to complex civilizations.

Artist/Director David Lebrun has created award-winning documentary and animated films that explore how humans have made sense of the world through myth, ritual, art and science.

Since 2009, he has been working on Transfigurations: Reanimating the Past in collaboration with Lighting Designer Amy Halpern and Producer Rosey Guthrie.

Please see The Music, Board of Advisors and Credits sections for more of the talented and dedicated project personnel.

Process
The animations are created from high-resolution photographs of art objects and architectural details. Most of the images are at least 36 megapixels to maintain remarkable detail in large-scale HD and 4K. Developments in camera low light capabilities and of hand-held, battery-powered LED lights facilitate high quality photography of objects in museum displays. Portable strobe lights enable the use of powerful rake/side lighting outdoors to make visible the hard to see details on carved stone.

Locations
We have taken over 30,000 photographs at over 300 locations so far, in collaboration with museums and departments of antiquities in Canada, Cyprus, England, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Lebanon, Mexico, the U.S. and more. Additional photography is planned in 30 countries including Armenia, Austria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, and Romania.

Go behind-the-scenes on our production journeys, below ...

GREECE, SPRING 2009

We began our photography traveling throughout the Greek mainland and to the islands of Crete, Santorini, and Naxos, photographing over 5000 artifacts and architectural details in museums, archaeological sites and Byzantine churches and monasteries.

In Tsepolovo, a village in the Zagori mountain region of Epirus in Northwestern Greece, we photographed the vibrantly painted interior of the Church of Agios Nikolaos under the watchful eye of the priest or papas, Father Nicolaus. After shooting, we shared lunch, raki and cigarettes with Papas Nikolaus in a tavern on the village square.

We photographed architectural details at the ancient site of Delphi, home of the ancient oracle. It is one of the most beautiful sites in Greece, in a spectacular setting overlooking the sea.

FRANCE, SPRING 2011

We traveled a circular route around France, photographing in Paleolithic cave sites, museums, and over 65 Romanesque and Gothic churches and cathedrals.

INDIA, WINTER 2013

We spent a month in the Indian state of Karnataka, photographing temples of the 12^th-century Hoysala kingdom. A thousand years of exposure to wind, rain and the caressing hands of countless pilgrims have only served to harden and preserve the exquisite details of these soapstone carvings.

We shared our time at the Hoysala temples mostly with locals and pilgrims, all of whom made us welcome. Few foreigners visit these sites, far from tourist hotels and amenities.

IRAN, DECEMBER 2014

We visited Tehran to present our film Out of The Maya Tombs at the Cinema Verite International Documentary Film Festival and to conduct workshops on documentary and experimental filmmaking. While there we did photography for the Transfigurations project in three of Tehran’s great museums.

Although we arrived without prior notice, the chief curator was very welcoming once we explained our project, allowed us to use our lights and tripod, and served us tea and cookies every day we photographed there. This gracious welcome was typical of what visitors experience in Iran.

LOS ANGELES AND ST. LOUIS, 2015

In 2015, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the St. Louis Art Museum allowed us intimate access to their storage rooms and galleries, where we focused on photographing ancient objects from Mesoamerica.

IRELAND AND ENGLAND, FALL, 2016

We traveled around Ireland for a month photographing high crosses and round towers in churchyards, abandoned cemeteries, farmers’ fields, and busy urban centers. These medieval structures have stayed where they have always been, as Ireland has changed around them.

Finding these High Crosses sometimes involved searching GPS coordinates in rural farmland. At one point on our trip, we crossed the wrong fence and were nearly chased by a very territorial bull.

MIDDLE EAST, 2018

In 2018 we took a 6 week trip to the Mideast, photographing thousands of objects, from Neolithic ceramic figurines in the Yarmukian valley on the border of Israel and Jordan, to the Paphos mosaics overlooking the Aegean Sea on Cyprus, to the elegant Byblos bronze figurines of Lebanon, and the beautiful mihrabs and minarets of the mosques of Turkey.

The animations are created using a range of software programs and procedures, with hundreds of hours of manual work done for each piece in addition to the automated processes. The goal is to bring static images to life by creating natural transitions from image to image, while avoiding distortion or digital artifacts.

First, the photographs are arranged in groups based on similarity in style, color palette and other factors, including chronology. Each object is separated from the background and then sized and positioned to align it with others in its series.

The images are then animated digitally through techniques ranging from slow, meditative morphing to rapid, almost hallucinatory cascades of coherent images.

In the case of morphing, outlines are created for each significant element. For example, with the face of a figurine - the eyes, nose and mouth. These outlines, which contain up to dozens of points, are manually readjusted for each photograph.

The final sequence is adjusted using “time re-mapping” to create a varied, organic and non-mechanical pace of motion, responsive to the nature and extent of each transition, as well as to the rhythms of the musical score.

Artist David Lebrun first creates each animation using an existing piece of music - a "scratch track" - to indicate the intended rhythm and dramatic moments in the animation. He then usually replaces this temporary music with bespoke tracks composed especially for each animation. On occasion, the scratch track has worked out so well that Lebrun has obtained the collaboration of the composer.

Composer Yuval Ron

Lebrun has collaborated with musician and composer Yuval Ron on feature films and multimedia performances for nearly twenty years. For Transfigurations: Reanimating the Past, Ron composed original scores for over a dozen of the animations so far, and has helped to design the musical and sonic tapestry to tie the animations together in an unfolding experience.

Composer Brian Eno

Lebrun began working with Brian Eno’s I Dormienti as a scratch track for 45 Hachas, an animation of Mesoamerican objects. He found that this piece worked so perfectly with the video that he began shaping the animation to the music. Eno, who is experimenting with similar technology in installations, has approved the use of his music and this project may feature more of his compositions.

Composer Donnacha Dennehy

Lebrun began working with Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy's astonishing solo for prepared piano, Stainless Staining, as scratch track for 65 Churches and Cathedrals, an animation of French sacred architecture from the Romanesque to Gothic periods. Again, he ended up shaping the animation to the music and seeking out Dennehy, who was happy to collaborate.

The Board of Advisors for Transfigurations: Reanimating the Past includes internationally recognized scholars and museum directors with expertise in the major cultures and periods encompassed by the exhibition, including Paleolithic, Neolithic, and Bronze Age, Classical Greek, Mesoamerican, Middle Eastern, and Indian art and culture. Several are engaged in larger, social and political critiques of archaeology, anthropology, art history and the role of museums.

The Board of Advisors review the animations for content accuracy, suggest animation subjects, and help us clarify the humanities and art historical themes of the project, including social and political critiques of archaeology, anthropology, art history and the role of museums.

Museum professionals on our board have produced innovative projects and bring this experience to bear on the shaping of the Transfigurations exhibition and interactivity content. They have also helped the project connect with museums worldwide to photograph object collections.

In addition to the Production Team, Music Composers,
and Board of Advisors listed above.

Production Coordinator
Kandis Hutcherson, Cemile Seren Turam

Animation Consultant and Map Design
Charles Owens

Animation Assistant
Shawn Branden, Grace Ferrara, Alex Hager, Dan Iwanicki,
Jenna Mateo, Danielle Murray, Claire Van Ryzin, Nalani Williams

Researcher
Catharina Santasilia
Finn West

Sound Designer
George Lockwood

A/V Consultant
Christopher Richmond

Interactive Producer
Maya Cohan

Interactive Designer
Henrik Andersson

Interactive Developer
Kara Todd

IT Consultant
Scott Friedman

Special Thanks
Blaise Agüera y Arcas
Lawrence Weschler
RE:Vision Effects