Aussie Director Kyra Bartley proves love knows no boundaries this V-Day with ‘Love Is Love’
We’ve all heard the words, yet the images that saturate mainstream media still heavily reinforce a narrow depiction of hetero-normative love, largely ignoring the diversity of genders, sexual orientations, cultural backgrounds and other differences that make love such a glorious, messy and beautiful adventure.
This Valentine’s Day, Australian director Kyra Bartley invited celebrated artists, illustrators and animators from around the world to contribute to the creation of Love Is Love, a provocative and collaborative animation project celebrating the beauty of unconditional love. Stitched together, each artwork represents one frame of a chaotic animation loop showcasing inclusivity in all its forms.
Says Bartley: “With heartbreak, confusion and shouty news articles filling our feeds, we’ll take all the love we can get. So this Valentine’s Day, when saccharine representations of storybook romance threaten to overtake common sense, we’ll be splashing our corner of the internet with a celebration of love in all its forms.”
Proving love knows no boundaries, be it race, gender or religion, artists such as Max Prentis from London, Lauren YS from the United States and Nanami Cowdroy from Australia, have come together to portray what love means to them. Produced by Heckler’s head of production Aborah Buick, the film is set to a striking soundtrack by ARIA nominated Australian composer Johnny Mackay (Fascinator, Children Collide).
Says Buick: “It’s been a real pleasure working with Kyra on this absolutely beautiful project. With so much discourse in Australia around marriage equality, I think it’s a timely reminder that all love is equal, beautiful and worthy of acknowledgement.”
The Love Is Love project will extend across social to feature a contributing artist each week over the coming months.
16 Comments
Nice, she invited 120 people around the world into boosting her career. I guess that passes for a director these days, if what you want in a director is the ability to get work for free to bolster someone else’s position with a shouty CB article.
It’s a nice animation but come on.
If I get 120 people to draw an easter egg for easter, can I be a director too?
She’s an Animation Director Fellas! And I guess the concept of love is lost on you.
ignore these jealous haters.
awesome project, great result
well done!
What an awesome and inspired project.Really well done.
Simple and unfussy with a beautiful message and result.
CutandPaste if you think people care about the representation of Easter eggs in the media then you should go for it buddy!
I guess being an animation director means you pay other people with exposure to create work to boost up your own career? Usually directors hire crew or post or illustrators and offer payment.
No wonder there are a few agency people here cheering, they all champion the exposure business model themselves. Sad to see a post house engaging in the practice they are a victim of so often themselves.
No one’s knocking the concept, it’s a good idea.
We’re saying that this is a cynical grab for attention based on using other people’s work, and claiming credit because it’s your “idea” and you’re the “director”. Either pay people or do the hard work yourself. The fact they you found 120 others who agreed to the “exposure” doesn’t validate the model, it just means there are too many desperate designers and illustrators out there.
“Heckler’s head of production Aborah Buick”. Nice ring to it. Good one.
I’m an artist involved. I contacted Kyra to offer my services to spread a message of love. I wasn’t approached. Pressured. I saw a call out on Facebook and offered to get involved. And I didn’t do it for exposure. I did it for creativity. Something you clearly don’t understand.
is it wrong for agencies to ask post houses (or anyone for that matter) to do free work ‘for exposure’ – absolutely
but this is a very different situation.
It’s a creative starting her own self initiated project asking fellow creatives to collaborate. if this was paid, then of course, different story.
yes, there are desperate designers and illustrators out there, loads of them!!!! so stop trying to deny them a chance to have an outlet for their creativity if that’s their choice.
@2.38 exposer you’re part of the problem, and in the worst way because you don’t think you’re part of the problem. You approached them why? For “creativity”? You can do your own creative project for yourself on your own time/dime. You clearly glommed onto this one because you thought it would get you out there.
@3.03pm How is this different? It’s sponsored by Heckler, produced by Heckler, with audio from a Heckler connection, on the Heckler Vimeo, and getting PR on the blogs under Heckler’s name. So how is this a personal project in any way and why should anyone have contributed for free? Because it’s a good cause? What does that have to do with payment?
Even if the “director” did this from home, unrelated to Heckler or a post studio or agency… so what? ANYONE asking for contributions from others, for free, to boost their own career is wrong. How is it that a “collaboration”? The designers choose to do it? Great, it’s their choice sure, but look deeper into that choice. Why do they feel they have to contribute for free? Again, because it’s a good cause? They could do their own designs or artworks for the same cause, for themselves, instead of doing it so Heckler can PR themselves all over town.
Designers who choose to work for free are part of the problem. But I guess we should give up on educating the industry to improve, and just let all do it, if that’s what they want. Hey lets ask them in 10 years if they still feel that way when they’re trying to feed a family.
Cue the naysayers who assume here that I am an old illustrator out of work. Ha!
“so stop trying to deny them a chance to have an outlet for their creativity if that’s their choice.”
“So stop trying to deny the drug addict the chance to inject if that’s their choice”. Same same. Just because they chose to do, doesn’t mean it’s right or good for them or the industry long term. But their choice right? And as you all work in the business of getting work done for the lowest possible cost, I doubt I’ll find any agreement here.
I’m off to do a personal project based mostly on the work of others. See you at the bottom.
@3.03
hahaha agency people on this blog. “Let the children indulge in self- and industry-destroying behaviour if it’s their choice! As long as we get free work!”
Nice one guys.
There are loads of desperate designers and illustrators, stop trying to deny them the chance to work for free?
Oh dear, the comments/commenters have sunk to a new low here.
I can’t stop watching this to try and catch the frames. Its so lovely.
It’s up to the designer to decide if they want to work ‘for free’ (i take it your referring to money here) or not.
If you’re good enough at what you do then stuff like this shouldn’t bother you
Kyra deserves a lot more credit than the poor comments here. This is good work with a strong message. The fact that its collaborative only elevates it on an artistic level. Personally for me I love everything about this.