The Human Locomotion Project

 

The Human Locomtion Project was started in 2011, with a project development grant from Arts SA and the core of an idea. Working with Eadweard Muybridge's movement studies from the 1880's, the project team planned to develop new movement material to create short film characters that could perform in a gallery like dancers on a stage.

The project development was a 3-week exploration of Muybridge's material, working with 'characters' and movement from his photographic sequences, and the various objects that his characters used. We set up a camera array using 16 Canon 5D Mark II's to shoot some of the material. The original movement material was captured using a variety of time-based techniques: timelapse, video and using the camera array. 

The Human Locomotion project revives Muybridge's characters in a contemporary world; using an exploration of 4 dimensional movement (space & time), the movement is presented against the kind of anthropometric grid that Muybridge used for measuring and analysing movement. 

This project exploits a curiosity about form, dimension, time, space, and the decisive moment. These are the resulting films.

 

Edwardian Horse from Sam Oster on Vimeo.

 

 

Human Locomotion Project: Tennis Marilyn from Sam Oster on Vimeo.

 

Washer Woman from Sam Oster on Vimeo.

 

 

 

Credits::

Director, Photographer & Cinematographer :: Sam Oster

Choreographer :: Carol Wellman Kelly

Dancer :: Lisa Griffiths

Music :: Tom Harrer

Technical Coordinator :: Peter Stanley

Camera Array Manager :: Mik Gojik

Camera Assistants :: Mira Soulio & Nick Spiker

Documentation :: Mike Lim

 

Thanks to::

Arts SA, Land Management Corporation (SA), Ausdance SA, Urban Cine, The University of South Australia, Flinders University, Australian Business Arts Foundation, Cirkidz, Vitalstatistix

Supporters: Mandi Whitten, Cinzia Schincariol, Alex Keay, Ade Suharto, Teri Pengilley, Christie Anthoney, Michelle Smith, Lelecia Hick, Kathleen Lawler, Deb Richardson, Mike Lim

 

Camera Supply: David, Leanne, Carradean, Des, Ben, Taryn, Sara, Nick, Cleland - and a special thank you to Pete Hall at Urban Cine

Without the support of the above people and organisations, this project would not have been possible. Thank you!!