Country of Production: USA
World Premiere / Release: "Punto Y Rayo", Iceland, February 2014
Running Time: 00:05:50
Category: Abstract Animation
Technique: 2D Digital Animation - HD1080P - 16:9
Producers: Gheorghe Costinescu and Michel Gagné
Director: Michel Gagné
Animator: Michel Gagné
Music: Gheorghe Costinescu

In the summer of 2013, composer Gheorghe Costinescu commissioned artist Michel Gagné to create an animated visualization based on his 1973 work, Dots, Lines, and Patches for recorded electronic sounds. The experiment resulted in a true synesthetic rendition where senses overlap and blend with one another.


Michel Gagné (Director, Animator and Co-Producer)

He was born in Québec, Canada. He studied animation at Sheridan College School of Visual Arts in Ontario, Canada and in 1985, began a highly successful artistic career.

Renowned for his unique vision, Michel has lent his talent to several animation companies, such as Don Bluth Studios, Warner Bros., Disney, Pixar, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, etc. His creative work can be seen in over twenty feature films including "The Iron Giant", "Osmosis Jones" and "Ratatouille". Aside from his studio work, Michel is a determined entrepreneur who has created work in a wide range of media, from live performances to gallery exhibits. With video game veteran, Joe Olson, he created the critically acclaimed video game, "Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet" which was released in 2011.

He has been recognized by his peers with a BAFTA, an Annie Award, and has received numerous prizes and nominations from the animation, video game and comics industries. One of his short films, "Sensology", was short listed for an Academy Award in 2010.

Michel is also active in the publishing world having written and illustrated several books and graphic novels, such as "The Saga of Rex", "ZED: A Cosmic Tale" and "Insanely Twisted Rabbits". His work has been published by DC Comics, Image Comics, Random House, Fantagraphics, as well as Michel's own imprint, GAGNE International Press.

He lives peacefully with his wife and dog, in the Pacific Northwest, USA.

 


Gheorghe Costinescu (Composer and Co-Producer)

He was born in Bucharest in 1934 and residing in New York since 1969, has been active as a composer, conductor, pianist, musicologist, and educator.

After earning an MA in composition from the Bucharest Conservatory under Mihail Jora, he continued his studies with Karlheinz Stockhausen in Cologne and Luciano Berio at the Juilliard School in New York. In 1976 he received a PhD with Distinction from Columbia University, where he studied with Chou Wen-chung.

His chamber, choral, orchestral, and stage works have been performed in major cities in Europe and the United States, and at the Royan, Shiraz–Persepolis, and Tanglewood festivals.

His stage work The Musical Seminar, a winner in the League-ISCM National Composers Competition, was premiered at Lincoln Center in New York City. The German version of the work was produced by the State Opera of Stuttgart, and the British premiere took place at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow.

Costinescu has received grants and awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the American Music Center, Meet the Composer, and the Ford Foundation. He also received a Fulbright Scholarship, the Romanian Academy’s George Enescu prize, and the Alexandre Gretchaninoff Memorial Prize from The Juilliard School.

His theoretical writings include studies and articles on contemporary music, essays on comparative aesthetics, and A Treatise on Musical Phonology.

Gheorghe Costinescu has held teaching positions at The Juilliard School, Columbia University, and the New School for Social Research. In 1982, he joined the faculty and subsequently directed the electronic music program at Lehman College of the City University of New York, where he became Professor Emeritus of Music in 2003.

Downloadable Files For Media Purposes

SYNESTHESIA_12_Jpgs_1920x1080.zip