MIAF 2025 - Meet The Filmmaker #2: Traceless Traces – In A Box

Melbourne based abstract animator, Dirk de Bryun, is one of the master artists in his field. His is a decades long career based around the aesthetics and production methods of cameraless animation pioneered by the likes of Len Lye and Norman McLaren. His films have shown in festivals and galleries all around the world.

MIAF 2016’s retrospective of Dirk’s films up to that date showed a filmmaker simultaneously working with one of the most basic and hands-on methods of animating whilst also experimenting with the possibilities that digital technologies can bring to the form.

Dirk’s latest film, “Traceless Traces”, closes tonight’s Abstract Showcase screening and promises to be a sumptuously visual way to send you back to the bar and out into the night. But Dirk has translated elements of that work into a series of illuminated ‘light boxes’ that promise a different way to not just see but experience the rich imagery of his work.

These boxes can be viewed from any angle and considered as art works of a type we are more used to seeing in a gallery than a cinema. But scan the QR code attached to each one and these ‘static’ artworks take on a life of their own, spanning the divide between gallery and cinema. And we’re setting up a few of them in the Backlot Studios Bar for you to look at and play with.

Dirk will introduce us to “Traceless Traces”, talk about how he produces his films and then walk us through the production of his fascinating light box artworks.

This session is classified: Unclassified (M) Mature, not recommended for viewers under 15 years.

Please note that Backlot is NOT fully accessible. There are stairs with handrails, but no lift to the second floor where the cinema is located.