Supermedium: Animation Past, Present and Future

Join Rosy Whittemore Curator and Archivist, Cosgrove Hall Films Archive and Matthew Pendergast Head of Programmes, Castlefield Gallery for a tour and discussion of Castlefield Gallery’s upcoming exhibition Supermedium: Kelan Andrews and Petra Szemán (11 October – 31 January 2026).

Hear about why they felt it was important to bring together work by contemporary visual artists Kelan Andrews and Petra Szemán, alongside items from the legendary Manchester animation studio Cosgrove Hall Films Archive. New works by the artists are being developed in dialogue with the archive that is home to items from some of the UK’s most iconic and beloved hand-drawn and stop motion animations: Danger Mouse (1981-92) The BFG (1989), The Wind in the Willows (1983-90) and Postman Pat (2004 to 2008) to name just a few. New works will include lifesize animatronic sculpture, video installation and digital animations which blur the boundaries between the digital and the physical.

Following the pioneering work of the likes of Cosgrove Hall, animation has moved from the margins to become a major part of our culture. Referred to as a Supermedium by theorist Debora Levitt, animation today is made with multiple processes including hand drawn illustration, posable puppets, AI, VR, CGI and various digital and post production programmes. It also appears in multiple different places from gaming and movies to advertising and mobile phone apps; blurring the boundaries between representation, creation and reality. Join us for this extra special tour and discussion of the works in this exhibition which will open up a dialogue around animation past present and future.

Images:

• Install image, Towards a new monomyth_, Petra Szemán (2024) QUAD, Derby, Courtesy of the Artist
• Rosy Whittemore, courtesy of Sonya Smith Photography