Personalities of Russian animation: synergetic films of Alexander Svirsky

Zaitcev Aleksei Yakovlevich ORCID: 0000-0002-1118-1877 PhD in Art History Senior lecturer; Department of Animation and Computer Graphics; All-Russian State University of Cinematography named after S.A. Gerasimov 3 Wilhelm Peak str., Moscow, 129226, Russia art-mary@mail.ru Other publications by this author

The artist and animator director Alexander Svirsky is a figure so vivid and unexpected that it is almost mythical...

...The inner freedom of an independent artist is embodied in an original aesthetic system, where absurdism and paradoxicity become an organic foundation for the synthesis of various stylistics, the connection of the incongruous...^[1]

Alexander Svirsky stands out among modern animation directors due to his experimental approach and constant search for new expressive means in the film language. This is manifested, in particular, in his ability to integrate visual and sound spaces into a single artistic image, creating the effect of an "associative flow". In this regard, it is quite reasonable to assert the synesthetic nature of Svirsky's work: the director's animated works in the original audiovisual form embody the ideas of S.M. Eisenstein, who received characteristic "synesthetic" definitions in his theoretical works: "chromophone editing", "the line of color movement through the film"; "color leitmotifs" ^{[2, p. 199]} and etc . The work of Alexander Svirsky can be attributed to "actual" art, which, in the words of K.E. Razlogov, takes the place of the current avant-garde ^{[3, p. 545]}.

Svirsky's avant-garde radicalism, whose work is characterized by "... Improvisationality, wasteful ingenuity and truth of material, sensuality of naivety and unbridled reflexivity of a wide field of fine art developments..." ^[1], not only enriches animation art with new forms, but also contributes to its evolution in the context of modern socio-cultural changes.

The director uses elements of conceptualism in his paintings, focusing not on linear narration, but on the act of presenting an idea. Svirsky's works trace the connection of the author's idea of a solution with the technologies of its screen embodiment, the relationship between materials and production methods, the pictorial solution of paintings is subordinated to the author's idea ^[4], they include various manipulations with graphic elements. To evoke certain emotions or associations in the audience, the author uses abstract forms in his work. His films often contain absurdist components and collage techniques in which the director uses elements gathered from various sources. Collage techniques range from simple image overlay to complex multi-layered compositions, the author experiments with the form and content of the screen work. All this allows viewers to perceive the narrative as a work of art open to interpretation, and not as a traditional audiovisual narrative.

In his work, Alexander Svirsky actively applies synesthetic principles, where visual and sound elements interact with each other, creating the effect of sound-color synesthesia "both at the same time<th> occurrence<I> sensations of different nature (modality) when exposed to a monomodal stimulus" ^{[5, p. 18]}: colors associated with certain sounds can enhance the emotional load of scenes. Complex types of synchronization ^{[5, p. 49]}, such as the use of color palettes that correspond to certain sounds or emotions, enrich the perception of the work. For example, a loud sound may be represented by a bright red or other color, whereas quiet melodies may be associated with soft pastel tones, and a jerky rhythm is represented by a moving dotted line. This allows viewers to perceive graphic elements as musical lines, which enriches the audiovisual experience. Svirsky's animated films somewhat resemble music videos and are attractive to viewers with a formed "clip thinking", which is characterized by synesthetic perception ^[6]. It should be noted that when it comes to "clip thinking" as a cognitive process, this phenomenon is often perceived in a negative context, when thinking is characterized as "fragmented", people with such thinking are considered incapable of deep analysis, cannot concentrate on any one topic for a long time, they need to constantly switch. But this type of thinking is also characterized by multitasking, quick decision-making in situations requiring prompt action, and the ability to rapidly assimilate new information. This is a special type of modern thinking, formed under the influence of new computer technologies, the Internet and changing media culture.

However, with regard to the work of Alexander Svirsky, we can talk not only about synesthetics as the principle of internal representation and recreation of an artistic image, but also about the synergetic principle of the development and perception of the artistic form of the film. As a result of the synergetic effect, a self-organizing animated image is created: the elements form a "quasi-chaos", which allows you to create unique visual and sound structures, and this leads to new forms of perception and interpretation of the content of the animated work. Each element in the director's films influences the others, creating an emergent effect. The viewer perceives not just individual frames, but a holistic artistic space where every action and sound matter.

Svirsky's works are characterized by an improvisational style focused on the "acute conflict of colliding elements" ^{[7, p. 33]} and a poetic approach to the creation of texts and visual images. This makes his animation free and experimental. Alexander Svirsky uses modern technologies to create his films, which allows him to experiment with different styles, and this helps to expand the expressive means of animation and enrich its artistic language.

The space of Svirsky's animation is saturated with symbols (see Figure 4 and Figure 5), which creates additional levels of interpretation and involves the viewer in the process of comprehending the works. The director's works deal with the deep problems of modern man, touch on topical social issues such as self-determination, problems related to "going into the digital world", dependence on computer games, etc., which resonates with young viewers who appreciate works reflecting their own experiences.

Alexander Svirsky's animation is characterized by polystylistics – his films are characterized by a variety of styles and techniques, which gives them uniqueness and ambiguity, as well as a protest against visual monotony. Svirsky seeks to move away from the traditional canons of animation, choosing his own approaches to creating an animated work. In some scenes, the pictorial solution is deceptively naive (see Figure 9, Figure 10), which is already a peculiar handwriting of the director.

Alexander Svirsky's filmography includes the following paintings: "The Master of the swamps", "Vadim on a walk", "My galactic double Galaktion", "Mears Pierce", "Guest on horseback", "Ant Songs", "Chepurnas", "Tanzonk", "9 ways to draw a man", "About a woman who wanted to fly away", "My galactic double Galaktion", etc. (information from the website of Sasha Svirsky www.sashasvirsky.ru ).

Let's turn to the analysis of those paintings by the director that seem to us the most reflective of the features of his work.

"Mears Pierce" (2009) is a dynamic film saturated with images, presented by clear, "poster" graphics; it "simultaneously contains three types of narration: visual, verbal and musical (sound)" ^{[7, p. 41]}. The director uses elements of the absurd, which allows him to explore complex topics through unusual situations and unusual characters. This creates a unique atmosphere where the usual norms and logic are being revised. Art critic A.M. Orlov notes that in this film the director "... shows the origins and soil roots of totalitarian power, Nazism and fascism, seemingly imperceptibly maturing in the most ordinary, ordinary members of society, in unremarkable inhabitants who gathered together yesterday to have a fun drink [...], and today they gather together so it's fun to shoot live targets with machine guns in the nearest city square" (Alexey M. Orlov, Candidate of Law. Animation by Sasha Svirsky. Pictograms of visual thinking. Part 3. / LoveJournal. 14.11.2014). The action of the painting thickens as the plot develops and the musical rhythm increases ^[8].

Figure 1. A frame from the movie "Mears Pierce". Screenshot from open sources: www.sashasvirsky.ru

"Poster" graphics imply the use of bright colors, clear lines and expressive shapes. This visual style helps to focus on the key elements of the plot and the emotions of the characters. The visual space of the painting can be characterized as planar: the detailed fullness of the frame remains conditional ^[8].

The film is full of rapid scene changes and active movement, which creates a feeling of continuous action. This helps to involve the viewer in what is happening on the screen and enhances the perception of the absurdity of the situations in which the characters find themselves. The film contains ironic comments from the characters about social norms and expectations. Some characters try to find meaning in their actions and interactions, their searches often lead to comic situations, but also open up important topics about the inner world of a person. Interestingly, in this painting, within the framework of the pictorial solution, words are used that "begin to behave like images", the synthesis of verbal and pictorial signs leads to the parallel development of two types of narration ^{[7, p.22]}.

Figure 2. A frame from the film "Pierce's World". Image from open sources

The effect of sound-color synesthesia in "Mears Pierce" helps to convey the absurdity and complexity of the characters' existence. Viewers are confronted with visual and audio metamorphoses that reflect the psychological states of the characters, creating the effect of immersion into their inner world. Immediately after its release, this film became a real discovery in Russian animation cinema.

The painting "Chepurnas" (2013) can be attributed to the "meditation film", in which the director creates a visual solution of the frame space in such a way that the entire form of the film is perceived as a single image.

Chepurnas is a pilot who cannot imagine his life without flying. One day, after the plane crashed, it turned out that the way to the sky was closed to him. He tries to exist without his dreams, getting married and getting a job, which does not make him really happy. Before a certain event. As the art critic A.M. Orlov notes, "... In this film, the director creates a powerful, sharp parabola of the aggressiveness of modern man and his enslavement, zombification by mass public cliches..." (Alexey M. Orlov, Candidate of Law. Animation by Sasha Svirsky. Pictograms of visual thinking. Part 3. / LoveJournal. 14.11.2014).

In the picture, the visual space of the frame is conditional and does not just serve as a background, but becomes an active participant in the narrative. The director uses various artistic techniques to create a multi-layered visual space that reflects the inner states of the characters and their emotional experiences, which is achieved through the use of color, light and texture and allows the viewer to feel the atmosphere of each moment. The images in "Chepurnas" are filled with symbols, which gives each viewer the opportunity to interpret them in their own way. This approach helps to create a personal connection between the viewer and the film, where each element can evoke different associations and emotions.

Special attention (however, as in all of Svirsky's works) deserves the sound content of the painting, which consists of alternating smooth and rhythmic melodies. The image echoes the rhythm with the pulsation of graphic elements, then with smooth transitions of lines, creating a special synesthetic effect that characterizes the unique handwriting of the director.

Figure 3. A frame from the movie "Chepurnas".Screenshot from open sources

A.M. Orlov believes that one of the dominant themes of the director is the reproduction of the "landscape of consciousness", and in "Chepurnas" a frame with a vertical section of the character's head is introduced, which makes it possible to directly see the filling of his head – but not its physical filling, not the brain convolutions, but a much more subtle and elusive thing – the space of consciousness, which is thus fleshed out and presented directly. The inner becomes the outer, the invisible becomes visible..." (Alexey M. Orlov, Candidate of Law. Animation by Sasha Svirsky. Pictograms of visual thinking. Part 3. / LoveJournal. 14.11.2014).

Figure 4. A frame from the movie "Chepurnas". A screenshot from open sources. "... There is a light oval inside the character's head, which is actually consciousness. Inside the oval there is a red airplane (the character is a military pilot), similar to a cross (the ending of the film is lethal, the pilot will die in another military mess). At the edges of the oval, three sawtooth hooks are bent, resembling a steel file, which the convict Jean Valjean hid in a silver coin as a last resort" (quote by Alexei M. Orlov).

According to A.M. Orlov, in "Chepurnas" there is a complex, contradictory image of God, who only pretends to see. This image, executed, unlike other elements of the painting, in a dense, in some ways even repulsive graphic manner, is associated with the Demiurge of the Gnostics.

Figure 5. A frame from the movie "Chepurnas". A screenshot from open sources. "God is depicted with a circular halo made up of radial segments, each representing an earthly landscape. The left eye of God, unlike the "real" right eye, is painted on a white piece of paper, as if covering the real eye. But it is the left pupil that is the guide to the subtle, divine plane" (quote by Alexei M. Orlov).

Thus, in the film "Chepurnas", a unique author's concept is presented in complex audiovisual images, reflecting the essence of the narrative and perceived by the viewer depending on his cultural level. In the end, "... It doesn't matter at all whether the viewer understands the artist's concept when they see his art. After the work has left the "workshop", the artist cannot control how the viewer will perceive it" ^[9].

A special place in Svirsky's work is occupied by the film "Ant Songs" (2014), where synesthesia is manifested through the dynamic linearity of the red line, which "in the frame is paired with background music playing off-screen. The juxtaposition of rhythmic accents in their perception creates the magic of synesthesia: we seem to see what we hear and hear what we see. As always, the rhythmology is "to blame" for this, linking the dynamics of the sequence with background music" (Orlov A.M. Animation by Sasha Svirsky. Part 2. / LoveJournal. 14.11.2014).

The film is conditionally divided into two parts, the first of which is represented by a combination of light music with smooth lines of the visual series, while the dynamics of the audiovisual self-organization of the screen "quasi-chaos" in the absence of a plot-narrative line creates a synergistic effect ^[8].

Figure 6. A frame from the movie "Ant Songs". Screenshot from open sources: www.sashasvirsky.ru

The second part of the picture tells about the birth and death, the relationship of a man and a woman. This part of the film is more detailed and semantically loaded, which provokes the viewer to activate attention, special concentration on what is happening on the screen. The montage-rhythmic construction of the film is characterized by the absence of montage glues, due to which the narrative is perceived as a continuous stream of consciousness.

The film focuses on red, the "archetypal" color ^[10], while the film itself is perceived as monochrome. At the same time, it seems to be permeated with a red line, which is inextricably present, creating bizarre images, both destructive and creative (the line then outlines the contour of the landscape, then glides smoothly, then moves with a dotted line, then suddenly disappears).

Figure 7. A frame from the movie "Ant Songs". Screenshot from open sources: www.sashasvirsky.ru

The accents placed in red are consistent with the sound design of the film, which leads to a synesthetic effect, the special appeal of which makes the viewer constantly look at the screen metamorphoses, succumbing to a state of "aesthetic meditation" ^[1].

The film is full of images that replace each other as in a kaleidoscope, and it will take more than one viewing in order to evaluate and understand the figurative component of the picture: "... Only after the 3rd viewing, all the subtleties of the deeply thought-out composition of "Ant Songs", from the first to the last frame, firmly fell into place ... One more "the passage of "the film introduced new details – and that integrity, which we call the artistic image of the film, was complemented by other facets..." (Orlov A.M. Animation by Sasha Svirsky. Part 2. / LoveJournal. 14.11.2014). In developing the visual space of the frame, the director remains true to himself: it can be characterized as conditional – planar.

The animated film "9 Ways to Draw a Person" (2016) is a "narrative <which accumulates two conflicting types of perception. On the one hand, it is a sequence of plots unfolded in time, quite traditional for screen drama, on the other hand, it is a pictorial whole organized according to the laws of easel composition, which implies simultaneous perception in a single field of view" ^[1].

The concept of the film is based on the evolution of drawing a person as the author sees it: a person like a bird (1); a person obscuring (a house or a tree) or a person obscuring another person (2); an inappropriate, awkward person (3); a person who has a tree instead of a head, and two huge fish instead of hands, and instead of legs there are two wheels or one fire hose (4); a man is a small icon (5); a man drawn in "detail" (6); a man as some part of him (7); a man drawing a man (8); a man drawn randomly (9).

The expression of the visual series of the painting in combination with the audio series immerses the viewer in an "associative flow", and the rapidly changing images on the screen – in a state of meditative trance, when the narrative is unknowingly perceived through images flashing on the screen. Here, as in other works of the director, there are red lines and red accentuating details that focus the viewer's attention on key elements of the scene, enhancing the feeling of tension and dynamics. Within the frame composition, red accents serve as visual "anchors" that help guide the viewer's gaze and structure the perception of the scene.

Figure 8. A frame from the movie "9 ways to draw a person". Screenshot from open sources

The director's work "My Galactic double Galaktion" (2020) is perceived as a "stream of consciousness", through an appeal to quoting, an improvisational and playful beginning is felt in it. The storyline is developing rapidly. The main character receives an e-mail from his double, and it can be assumed that we are talking about people who play a computer game online, where they save the world by replacing realities with an illusory space. They do well here, unlike in the real world where they live. They don't know each other because they play anonymously, and the main character calls his partner Galaktion (nickname). Another interpretation of the author's concept may be that the "galactic double" is the "avatar" of a computer game player.

Figure 9. A frame from the movie "My galactic double Galaktion".Screenshot from open sources: www.sashasvirsky.ru

In contrast to the bright digital world, the film presents the squalor of the same type of houses and apartments, where players do not want to return. And the viewer feels this contrast. The voiceover text is read in the manner of intonation of a modern computer game user who wants to tell something, but does not have a special practice of "live" communication due to "digital autism". He is tongue-tied, the narrator's intonation is monotonous, emotionless. Whereas in the song "Come with me to fight with evil forces", which accompanies the computer interaction of the characters, much more emotions and artistry are expressed. The depressing voice-over enumeration of everyday reality objects is contrasted with the lively description of the "luminous and bright world of shimmering colors" of virtual reality, and "this world intends to destroy the main character and his galactic double" (quote from the film).

Thus, the film is built on the contrast of the "computer world-the real world" and exposes the corresponding problem associated with "digital autism". This term has nothing to do with the term "autism", which is used in psychiatry, and refers to a condition in which a person becomes isolated from the real world due to excessive use of digital technologies.

The visual space of the film has a conventional, planar shape, is partly made in a collage manner, partly represents a naive drawing.

Vadim on a Walk (2021) is a film that raises existential questions: what to do with the newfound freedom, which turns out to be deceptive.

Figure 10. A shot from the movie "Vadim on a walk".Screenshot from open sources: www.sashasvirsky.ru

The author's concept can be interpreted as a young man's exit from the "cramped room" of parental care into the "big" world of possibilities, and his collision with the realities of the modern world and the inability to cope with them: as a result, the person returns to the "cramped room", represented in the frame by a transparent glass cube. Animation researcher Maria Tereshchenko interprets the plot somewhat differently: "Vadim on a walk" is, on the one hand, an experiment, and on the other, a sad story about a man who rarely goes for a walk because of a lot of work and, although, going out for a walk, he feels like a gazelle that jumps back and forth, submission to the employer, responsibility and a sense of duty attract him back to the cage room" (Tereshchenko M. "Ugly spots: the best Russian cartoons at the festival in Suzdal". <url>, March 25, 2021) The film introduces metaphors belonging to the "editing style of cinematic thinking" ^{[11, p. 169]}, for example, where the employer, represented by a lion attacking a harmless gazelle (which "jumps both here and there"), with which the main character identifies himself. At the same time, the gazelle looks like it is suspended by a string, with its legs hanging limply, which it moves listlessly in the air like a puppet (a symbol of helplessness, lack of will, submission, lack of initiative, unwillingness to take responsibility, etc.). Only its color and the color of the environment change, the movements of the gazelle are cyclically repeated.

The film is accompanied by a voiceover, read in the same monotonous voice as in the film "My galactic double Galaktion". The visual space of the film, like the director's previous paintings, is conditionally decided.

Special attention should be paid to the design of the picture, which received the Golden Horseman Award for the best musical design of the film at the Filmfest Dresden International Short Film Festival (in Dresden) in 2022 (according to the SHAR Animation Film School).

Figure 11. A frame from the movie "Vadim on a walk".Screenshot from open sources: www.sashasvirsky.ru

Thus, Alexander Svirsky uses an integrated approach to the creation of his paintings, which distinguishes him from other directors of modern animated films and includes the following components:

- synesthetic and synergetic animation: the director integrates sound and image, creating the effect of sound-color synesthesia, where graphic elements are perceived as sound lines. This allows the viewer to perceive visual images as musical compositions, which makes his works unique in the context of audiovisual art. When watching a movie, the viewer is immersed not in space, but in a dynamic state, which is formed by the author using visual and audio means;

- improvisation: Svirsky's animation often does not have a clear storyline, which allows you to create unique poetic and associative narratives, which, in turn, gives his films a special atmosphere and opens the possibility for ambiguous interpretations;

- modern computer technologies: the director actively uses computer technologies and various animation techniques in his work: collage, 2D and 3D animation, which enriches his artistic language and expands his expressive means, allowing him to create dynamic and multi-layered works;

- conceptual component: the works of Alexander Svirsky reflect conceptualist ideas, where the emphasis is on the act of presenting an idea, rather than on its deployment, which also creates a special space for spectator interpretation.

The visual component of Alexander Svirsky's films focuses on graphic drawing and line dynamics. The depth and detailed fullness of the frame remain conditional, and in general the visual space of his paintings can be described as planar.

The content of Svirsky's films is adequately perceived from the point of view of themes, emotional impact and intertextual associations, but it does not represent a linear narrative; the author's narrative includes elements of absurdism and collage, which makes the semantic component of his films closer to conceptuality and aesthetic principles of conceptualism, which state that the essence of art activity is not a consistent deployment the idea, and in the act of its presentation. At the same time, the artistic space of the work is fully realized only in the perception of the viewer ^{[4, 8, 12]}.

Based on the above, the artistic forms of Alexander Svirsky's animated films can be attributed to a plane-conceptual type close to the modern young viewer, whose experience and perception are formed in the conditions of the digital age ^[4]. This type is increasingly being chosen by modern young directors of animated films ("Bonds" (2019) directed by D. Velikovskaya; "Loitering" (2020), "Vedriti" (2023), directed by N. Meshcheryakov; "Cucumbers" (2020) directed by L. Shmelkov, "Apnea" (2022) directed by A. Kononova and etc.).

The younger generation, brought up in the paradigm of collage-clip visual culture, accustomed to the rapid flow of visual images, perceives animation as a dynamic and multi-layered art and positively evaluates it for its vivid and imaginative expression, rather than for the traditional linear narrative. In addition, modern viewers place high demands on the technical parameters of screen products, expect high-quality animation that uses new technologies and expressive means. Thus, the modern viewer is more demanding about the content and form of an audiovisual work, and Alexander Svirsky's films meet these requirements.