Len Lye (1901 - 1980) was one of the first artists to experiment with film and animation as an artistic process. He was also a kinetic sculptor. "Free Radicals" was created by scratching into black film stock. "A Colour Box" was actually made for the British General Post. I like how he uses a direct process with the film and is able to create these abstract, but musical and actually quite tangible animations paired with music.His work is a great reference for students who are just starting out in animation, and to discuss the pairing of music and sound. It is also a good example of how one can manipulate physical film by hand, and really explore how many ways it can be altered and changed in a playful manner.
