(*Picture source below)The Curious Art of Tim Burton
It would be considered both an impossible task and unique experience for one to have the opportunity to get inside the mind of one of the most imaginative and creative directors of the 21st century. In the past this would certainly have been impossible for us ordinary members of the public, however thanks to a new exhibition launched by the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, (ACMI) we are finally able to get a glimpse into the creative mindset of legendary director Tim Burton.
From June to October 2010, ACMI hosts a unique exhibition direct from The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York. An Australian exclusive, Tim Burton: The Exhibition is a landmark exhibition charting Tim Burton's creative vision and process from his earliest work to his latest spectacular Alice in Wonderland.
It’s a must for all Burton fans alike. We see material from his early days as an animator at Disney and figurines from his classic short film ‘Vincent’ as well as many never-before-seen drawings and sketches from his personal collection.
Designed in three parts - all revolving around, escaping or depicting the suburb of Burbank - the exhibition contains over 700 objects from Burton's personal collection.
Unforgettable props and set pieces from his films pop out from stairwells or at corners to act as way finding systems announcing the exhibition. There's the low menace of the black mask-style Batmobile at the top of the stairs, the Luna Park-like entrance, and the topiary deer from Edward Scissorhands.
Early drawings depict the "outsiders, oddballs and aliens" that populate his films. While the imagery can be derivative and a little lame in its literalness (a couple holding hands is actually a couple holding sawn off hands), others, such as the elephant sitting on the ringmaster and thinking ''Ta da'', are quite funny. Premonitions of later work are here too, such as the gardener who will become Edward Scissorhands.
Scattered throughout are maquettes (preliminary models) and sculptures: consider Edward Scissorhands' outfits and his cookie-making machine.
Burton has said himself how he always felt “outside of society” and this is a theme in the exhibition and a large bulk of his work. Think of one of his most personal movies ‘Edward Sissorhands’: the moving portrayal of an artistic outsider who cannot touch what he desires without destroying it. Or the under rated gem that is ‘Ed Wood’, again a somewhat tragic story of the worst director of all time, a man who had vision but not talent. (It was not a hit at the box office, but won Burton the best reviews of his career, as well as two Oscars).
Burton’s unique artistic vision means that he has put his own distinctive mark on his work and given the often bland and repetitive films of today a run for their money. He has had critical and commercial success with films such as ‘Batman’, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and the gothic musical ‘Sweeney Todd’ as well as the now cult ‘Mars Attacks’, quirky ‘Beetlejuice’ and forgotten ‘Sleepy Hollow.’ He is now moving into animation again with a rumoured Addams Family project and has adapted his early short film ‘Frankenweenie’ for the big screen.
Going back to the exhibition, it's the drawings that dominate. These represent Burton’s “thought process”: “I always think that drawings come from a much more comfortable place for me and that they say more than my intellectual mind can.” Hence ACMI's massive space is brimful of them, all with certain motifs that recur: the scarred misunderstood protagonists, caricatured heads and chequerboard with op art effects. The grotesque figures with their angular lines, gaping mouths and sharp teeth are classic Burton-type drawings and fit right in to the slightly bizarre exhibition.
But that is of course, the charm of the event itself; its odd, touchingly weird and according to Burton represents the “chaos of my mind.” The exhibition never fails to remind us why Burton and his imagination touch many people. It’s a reminder that there is nothing wrong with being a little different to everyone else, just look at Tim Burton. It can only be considered a good thing.
*Sources:
Sydney Morning Herald (Includes Picture Credit)
