Tess Martin is a Seattle-based independent animator.
She is also a member of SEAT, Seattle Experimental Animation Team.
Sign up for her monthly e-newsletter here.
Contact her at tess [@] tessmartinart.com
CV:
Tess Martin is an independent animator who works with back-lit paper cut-outs, ink, paint, sand or objects. She is the recipient of three 4Culture grants, two City of Seattle grants, and numerous others in support of her films, including The Whale Story, animated on a 16 foot high wall in a public park. Her most recent films are They Look Right Through You, a nine minute marker-on-glass animation about human-pet relationships, and Still Life and Snowball, two short shorts made with drawings and snow respectively. Her films have displayed at galleries as well as festivals worldwide. She is a member of SEAT, Seattle Experimental Animation Team, a collective of independent animators, and has curated a program of SEAT films titled Inter-Action, which screened in Seattle, Portland, New York City and toured Europe in October 2011. Tess received her BA of Fine Art from the University of Brighton in the UK and spent the majority of her life overseas before settling in Seattle in 2008.
FILMOGRAPHY
2013 Snowball, 1:50 snow animation
2013 Still Life, 1:23 drawn animation
2013 They Look Right Through You, 9:00 marker on glass and time lapse
2012 A Walk in the Woods, 1min, objects on light-box
2012 Hula Hoop, 1:30 sand on a light-box
2012 The Whale Story 3:36, paint and objects animated on 16 x 32 foot wall in Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park
2011 Plain Face 10:41, tissue paper, plastic, watercolor, ink animated on a back-lit animation stand
2007 A Moment’s Reverie 10:15, tissue paper and ink animated on a back- lit animation stand
2006 The Head or Dimensions of Love, looped, stone sculpture chipped away frame by frame.
2006 Gaijin/The Foreigner 4:43, tissue paper, junk mail, plastic packaging animated on a light-box.
2005 Tribute 5:05, paper cut-outs animated frame by frame timed to a Beatles song
2005 Untitled (QAR) 3:49, paper cut-outs animated frame by frame on a Quick Action Recorder
CURATING EXPERIENCE
2012 Stop-Framing Me, Gage Academy Steele Gallery, Seattle, WA, August 3-September 1, 2012.
2011 Inter-Action: Animated Shorts by SEAT, Seattle Experimental Animation Team, US and EU tour.
2010 Seattle Animation Funtacular Explosion: social screening event.
GALLERY SHOWS
2012 Stop-Framing Me, Gage Academy Steele Gallery, Seattle, WA
2012-2013 e4c, 4Culture, Seattle, WA
2011 Child’s Play, ArtsWest Gallery, Seattle, WA
2011 (Be)Longing, Kirkland Arts Center, Kirkland, WA
2009-2010 e4c, 4Culture, Seattle, WA
SCREENINGS
Still Life (2013)
Sixty Second Film Festival, Vashon, WA, May 19, 2013
Short Run presents: Ishi’s Brain, Seattle, WA, April 25, 2013
They Look Right Through You (2013)
Fest Anca, International Animated Film Festival, Zilina, Slovakia, June 27-30, 2013
Seattle International Film Festival, May 18, 19 & June 9, 2013
A Walk in the Woods (2012):
Seattle International Film Festival, Seattle, WA, May 27, 2013
Dawson City International Short Film Festival, Dawson City, Canada, March 30, 2013
Strange Beauty Film Festival, Durhman, NC, Jan 24-26, 2013
Hula Hoop (2012):
Revelation Perth International Film Festival, Perth, Australia, July 4-14, 2013
Toronto Animated Image Society, Toronto, Canada, May 11, 2013
Short Run presents: Ishi’s Brain, Seattle, WA, April 25, 2013
St. Louis International Film Festival, November 8-18, 2012
Se-ma-for Film Festival, Lodz, Poland, October 10-13, 2012
Local Sightings Film Festival, Seattle, WA, October 2, 2012
The Seattle Times Three Minute Masterpiece, Seattle International Film Festival, May 19, 2012
The Whale Story (2012):
Revelation Perth International Film Festival, Perth, Australia, July 4-14, 2013
Experimental Film Festival, Portland, OR, May 25, 2013
Short Run presents: Ishi’s Brain, Seattle, WA, April 25, 2013
CineVic Short Circuit Festival, Victoria, BC, Canada, April 19-20, 2013
Experiments in Cinema, Albuquerque, NM, April 3, 2013
Dawson City International Short Film Festival, Dawson City, Canada, March 29, 2013
Water Docs International Film Festival, Toronto, Canada, March 24, 2013
Tricky Women Film Festival, Vienna, Austria, March 8, 2013
Byron Bay International Film Festival, Byron Bay, Australia, March 7 & 12, 2013
As part of Inter-Action special program at Cinematheque Quebecoise, Montreal, Canada, February 1, 2013
Strange Beauty Film Festival, Durhman, NC, Jan 24-26, 2013
l’Alternativa 2012 – 19th Barcelona Ind. Film Festival, Barcelona, Spain, November 20-25, 2012 – Winner, Hall Screen Lomography Prize
zwergWERK, Oldenburg Short Film Days, Oldenburg, Germany, November 25, 2012
Imagine Science Film Festival, New York City, November 15, 2012
interfilm, International Short Film Festival Berlin, November 13-18, 2012
Cucalorus Film Festival, Wilmington, NC, November 11, 2012
Couch Fest Films, worldwide, November 10, 2012 – Winner, Best Rescue Story Award
NW Filmmaker’s Festival, Portland, OR, November 9-11, 2012
St. Louis International Film Festival, November 8-18, 2012
Bradford Animation Festival, Bradford, UK, November 13-17, 2012
Regent Park Film Festival, Toronto, Canada, November 7 & 8, 2012
Tallgrass Film Festival, Wichita, KS, October 19 & 20, 2012
Local Sightings Film Festival, Seattle, WA, October 2, 2012 – Nominated, Naked City Brewery Audience Award
Cabbagetown Short Film & Video Festival, Toronto, Canada, Sept 7, 2012
Salento Finibus Terrae, FilmFestival Int. Cortometraggio, Carovigno, Italy, July 30, 2012
Portugal Underground Film Festival, Fundao and Portimao, Portugal, June 8-16, 2012
Toronto Animated Image Society, June 1, 2012
Seattle International Film Festival, Seattle, WA, May 26, 2012
9th Green Film Festival in Seoul, Seoul, South Korea, May 9-15, 2012
Plain Face (2011):
e4c, 4Culture media gallery, Seattle, WA, Feb 2012-Feb 2013
Milwaukee Underground Film Festival, Milwaukee, WI, May 4, 2012
Victoria Film Festival, Victoria, BC, Canada, February 11, 2012
Ellensburg Film Festival, Ellensburg, WA,USA, October 9, 2011
Se-ma-for Film Festival, Lodz, Poland, September 22-25, 2011
Atlanta Underground Film Festival, Atlanta, GA, USA, September 23, 2011
Seattle True Independent Film Festival, Seattle, WA, June 11. 2011
World Premiere: Seattle International Film Festival, Seattle, WA, May 28, 2011
As part of Inter-Action: Animated Shorts by SEAT (curated by Tess Martin):
Northwest Film Center, Portland, OR, May 17, 2012
Naked City Brewery, Seattle, WA, Feb 1, 2012
La Peniche Cinema, Paris, France (as part of La Fete du Cinema d’Animation), Oct 28, 2011
MuseumQuartier, sponsored by ASIFA Austria, Vienna, Austria, Oct 24, 2011
Lichtblick Kino, Berlin, Germany, Oct 23, 2011
EYE Film Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Oct 18, 2011
Vera, Groningen, The Netherlands, Oct 17, 2011
The Star and Shadow Cinema, Newcastle, UK, Oct 12, 2011
The Horse Hospital, London, UK, Oct 8, 2011
NewFilmmakers, Anthology Film Arch., New York, NY, July 20, 2011
92YTribeca, New York, NY, July 18, 2011
Northwest Film Forum, Seattle, WA, June 16, 2011
A Moment’s Reverie (2007):
Memory Descent & Friends screening, NW Film Forum, Seattle, WA, Feb 10, 2013
Artist Trust’s Celebration exhibition reception, Washington State Convention Center, Seattle, WA, Sept 7, 2012
As part of Inter-Action special program at De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam, The Neth., Oct 16, 2011
NW Film and Video Festival, Portland, WA, Nov 6, 2010
e4c, 4Culture media gallery, Seattle, WA, Nov 2009-Nov 2010
Eye Candy Animation Festival, Olympia, WA, June 5 2010
Seattle Animation Funtacular Explosion, Seattle, WA, March 4 2010
Animation on the Edge, shorts program, Portland, OR, April 2010
Animated Art, shorts program, NWFF, Seattle, WA, January 7 2010
Local Sightings Film Festival, Seattle, WA, October 6 2009
Premiers Plans Film Festival (Plans Animes category), Angers, France, Jan 18-27 2008
2008 Sunscreen Film Festival (Animation Short category), St. Petersburgh, Florida, March 19-22
St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, St. John’s, Canada, Oct. 16-20 2007
Premiers Plans Film Festival short films night La Grande Nuit du Court, Angers, France, June 6 2008
Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market video library, at the Festival Int. du Court Metrage, France, 1-9 2008
PoetryFilm short film event at the Tate Britain Museum, London, UK, Oct. 5 2007
Tribute (2005):
Larval Amps experimental shorts program, NW Film Forum, Seattle, WA, Nov 17 2010
Spin the Bottle, Annex Theatre, Seattle, WA, June 4 2010
2007 Loop Digital Arts Festival, Brighton, UK, Aug. 18 2007
Untitled (QAR) (2005):
Seattle Animation Funtacular Explosion, Seattle, WA March 4 2010
Feminist Form, shorts program, Seattle, WA, January 23 2010
PUBLIC WORKS
2012 HuskyFest public installation
2012 Re-Animated! An Exquisite Corpse Animated Event
2011 Wallrus animated mural project
2011 The Long Walk animation and installation
2010 Seattle Animation Funtacular Explosion social screening
PRESENTATIONS
2012 Visiting Artist at DigiPen Institute of Technology, Redmond, WA, Art & Technology class taught by Michael Lorefice.
2012 Stop-Framing Me artist lecture at Gage Academy, Seattle, WA, in connection with Stop- Framing Me gallery show. Lecture given in partnership with co-curator Webster Crowell.
2012 Visiting Artist as part of SEAT, Cornish College of Art & Design, Seattle, WA, campus-wide lecture hosted by Gallery Director Cable Griffith.
2012 Visiting Artist at Whitworth University, Spokane, WA, campus-wide lecture, hosted by Associate Professor of Art, Scott Kolbo.
2012 Visiting Artist at Queens University, Charlotte, NC, New Media Design class taught by Michael Wirth.
2011 Visiting Artist at DigiPen Institute of Technology, Redmond, WA, Art & Technology class taught by Michael Lorefice.
2011 Visiting Artist at Uni. of Brighton Moving Image BA/MA, Brighton, UK.
2011 Visiting Artist at the Art Institute of Seattle, Seattle, WA, Contemporary Art & Design class taught by Ryan Finnerty.
2011 On Video Art panelist at ArtsWest Gallery On Stage Event, Seattle, WA.
2011 Artist Lecture for (Be)Longing exhibit, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, WA.
2011 Visiting Artist at the Art Institute of Seattle, Seattle, WA, Contemp. Art & Design class taught by Ryan Finnerty.
2010 Visiting Artist at Harvard University, Boston, MA, Fundamentals of Animation class taught by Sarah Jane Lapp.
2008 Visiting Artist at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, Visual and Performing Arts class taught by Sigrid Zahner.
SUPPORT RECEIVED
2013 Artist residency at the Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT (Full Fellowship & Clowes Fellowship)
2012 Artist Trust GAP Grant recipient, Seattle, WA
2012 Artist residency at I-Park, East Haddam, CT
2012 Brightwater Conveyance commission, 4Culture and King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division, Seattle, WA
2012 CityArtist Grant recipient, City of Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, WA
2011 4Culture grant recipient, Seattle, WA
2010 4Culture grant recipient, Seattle, WA
2010 Puffin Foundation grant recipient, Teaneck, NJ
2010 CityArtist Grant recipient, City of Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, WA
2009 Artist Trust GAP Grant recipient, Seattle, WA
2007 Winner of the Burt Brill & Carden’s First Prize Student Award, Brighton, UK
SUPPORT RECEIVED for the SEATTLE EXPERIMENTAL ANIMATION TEAM
2012 Awesome grant, Awesome Foundation
2011 Storefronts Seattle, Temporary Installation, City of Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs in partnership with the Department of Planning and Development, WA
2010 Capitol Hill Station Wall Project, stART, Sound Transit Art Program, WA
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2012 Juror for the 2012 Northwest High School Film Festival, Seattle, WA
2011 One of three artists interviewed and featured in the Artist Trust Benefit Video, Seattle, WA
2010 Residency, 911 Media Arts, Seattle, WA
2010 One of four artists interviewed and featured in 4Culture promotional video for e4c, electronic media gallery, Seattle, WA
2010 Juror for Artist Trust Media GAP Grant, Seattle, WA
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Hula Hoop selected for KTCS’s Reel NW season 3. Aired on KCTS9 at various times.
Volume 27: “The Journal of Short Film,” 2013, Ohio State University Film Studies – Plain Face (2011) is one of eight short films included in this compilation DVD.
Volume 22: Women of the JSF, “The Journal of Short Film,” Winter 2011, Ohio State University Film Studies – A Moment’s Reverie (2007) is one of eight short films included in this compilation DVD.
Talk Show Artistic Guest, KKNW 1150 AM, “Conversations Live with Vicky St. Clair,” June 6, 2011
Interviewed about my artistic practice and the animation scene in Seattle.
Dana Standish, “Frame Works: Paper Tiger,” Seattle Magazine, March 2010, 91
One of five animators included in this six-page feature magazine article.
RELEVANT EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
COMMISSIONS
2012 Commissioned animator for the documentary Barzan, dir. Alex Stonehill and Bradley Hutchinson.
2011 Commissioned animator for the documentary trailer for Like a Lady: the Fakaleitis of Tonga, dir. Brian Favorite.
2011 Commissioned animator for the multi-media play Below Us: A Play about Hybrid Identity, dir. Tikka Sears and Manuel Castro.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2009-2011 Mentor, Reel Grrls, Seattle, WA. I have taught 6 animation or video camps covering every technique including multi-plane, sand, whiteboard, cut-out, and pixellation animation. Camps ranged from one-day camps to week-long camps. Ages ranged from 10-17 years old. Many of these youth-created shorts have since been accepted into film festivals.
2011 Animation Workshop instructor, Longhouse Media, Tulalip, WA.
2010 Animation Workshop Instructor, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, WA.
2008 & 2009 Animation Camp Instructor, BITV, WA.
2009 Volunteer Mentor for SuperFly Filmmaking, Squaxin island, WA.
2007-2008 Volunteer Teacher, Precious Gift Int. School, Accra, Ghana.
2006 English Teacher with EF Languages, Edinburgh, Scotland.
2004 English Teacher with Manjooran’s Group of Institutes, Kerala, India.
OTHER RELEVANT EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
2009 – present Volunteer at the NW Film Forum, Seattle, WA.
2008 Assistant to animator Bruce Bickford, Seattle, WA.
EDUCATION
2009 EDGE Professional Development for Filmmakers, Artist Trust, Seattle, WA.
2004-2007 University of Brighton, Brighton, UK, BA Fine Art Sculpture.
2006 One semester at Nagoya University of Arts, Nagoya, Japan.
2003-2004 Byam Shaw School of Art at Central Saint Martin’s, London, UK, Foundation Fine Art
2002-2003 Boston University, Boston, MA.
2002 International School of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, International Bacc.