“Animation is not the art of drawings that move but the art of movements that are drawn” (Norman McLaren)

Norman McLaren (1914-1987) was one of the most important experimental filmmakers of the 20th century, in particular making groundbreaking contributions to the art of animation. He began making film whilst a student of art and interior design at The Glasgow School of Art (GSA), which he attended from 1932 to 1936. Following short professional stints in London and New York, he moved to Canada to work with renowned Scottish documentary filmmaker John Grierson at The National Film Board of Canada, where he made his most creative and acclaimed works.

The centenary festival, McLaren 2014, provided an opportunity for Scottish audiences to celebrate McLaren's influence and legacy with a series of events taking place across central Scotland, focusing on Stirling, Glasgow and Edinburgh. As part of the festival, GSA in collaboration with the Glasgow Film Theatre, hosted a screening of animation films by GSA alumni, curated by Dr Sarah Smith.
This event celebrates McLaren’s contribution to experimental animation by screening a diverse selection of thirteen animation films by GSA alumni, from McLaren’s own abstract classic Lines Horizontal (1962) to recent graduate Ross Hogg’s The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat (2013). The event was introduced by Dr Sarah Smith and concluded with a short Q&A with some of the included filmmakers.