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Graduates 2009: Joseph Mann

Words
Alex Bec
—
Date
8 June 2009
Two small figures with messy hair stand on a rooftop, looking out over a grey cityscape. In the background, two construction cranes, one red and one yellow, tower over stepped grey buildings.
A stop-motion scene of a figure in red overalls kneeling on a rooftop next to a small red toy plane. A child with blonde hair looks out from a nearby window.
A small figure with messy yellow hair sits in the back of a car. They wear a blue and white striped top and green trousers, holding a red box and a “Navigator Scotland” guidebook.
A hand in a black glove holds a small, red toy plane. The plane features yellow sunburst patterns on its wings and tail.
A small fabric doll with a smudged, soot-stained face and a small orange nose. They wear a red patterned shirt with a blue pen tucked into the breast pocket.
A small figure with spiky blonde hair and a blue striped shirt leans on a white windowsill. They look straight ahead with a neutral expression, framed by a brick wall and a room with cardboard boxes.
Two people stand before a wall covered in a large grid of storyboard sketches. They are adjusting the layout, with one person in a blue shirt and another in a checked shirt.
A close-up of a wooden articulated figure's joints, held together with metal bolts and nuts. A small wooden plank is positioned between the limbs, secured by thin metal screws.
Two metal adjustable feet support wooden legs on a white surface. Each foot consists of a threaded bolt and a heavy metal base.
A miniature model of a brick building and rooftops, with two small figures sitting on a grey slate roof. A camera in the foreground is positioned to photograph the scene.
Two photos show a miniature set. The first is a wide shot of a dollhouse-style room with a studio light positioned above it. The second is a top-down shot from a camera, showing a small figure in a red jumpsuit sitting on a grey tiled roof.
A large-scale installation of a circular street scene, viewed from above. The curved facades of shops and apartments wrap around a central dark cylinder, with a small figure sitting on a bicycle in the middle.
A circular sculpture resembling a wheel, composed of miniature building facades and shop fronts. A round, tan-coloured disc sits at the centre, supported by a tall white plinth.
A high-angle shot looking down into a circular market courtyard at night. Shop fronts line the curve, including signs for “Halal Butchers” and “Jewellers”, while a large brown umbrella partially obscures the foreground.
A sculpture consisting of a light wood grid with small square compartments. Each cell contains a fragment of material that gradients from white at the top to dark brown and black at the bottom.
A grid of small, square compartments contains various fragments of aged, yellowed paper. Each piece is unique in shape and size, resembling an archival collection of scraps.
A close-up of a colourful model Ferris wheel with red and blue spokes. A small green carriage hangs from the yellow rim, set against a backdrop of miniature trees.

Joseph Mann is a graduate from the BA (Hons) Illustration course at the Glasgow School Of Art. His talents are pretty broad; some incredible model making, a real eye for stop-frame animation as well as a real gift for storytelling. We couldn’t be sure exactly what he’ll end up doing, but it’ll definitely be very, very good. Don’t forget to check out his Vimeo as well as his site for three fantastic little films.

Joseph Mann has always had a passion for model making and has recently been bringing it to life through the medium of stop motion animation – a discipline for which he’s developed a keen passion. By combining these two processes he hopes to continue creating small worlds for audiences to explore and engage with.

For his degree he decided to collaborate with a writer and it was through this that The Chimney Sweep was born. Having never done 3D stop motion before he decided he wanted to build his own armatures to help him gain a better understanding of how they can be made to move. The armatures for The Chimney Sweep were built using lolly-pop sticks and ball and socket joints.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

A lifeguard because as a child I really loved swimming pools and the idea of being able to sit and look at one all day really excited me.

In reflection, how bad was your work in the first year?

First year in Glasgow was more play than work. I did quite a few terrible life drawings and they certainly never got any better.

If you could show a piece of your folio to one person, what piece would you choose, and who would you show it to?

I would have loved for my Grandpa to have seen The Chimney Sweep.

If you had your own business, who would you employ and why?

Any one really good at table tennis so I could play them at lunch times.

If you’ve got any left, what will you spend the last of your student loan on?

I told my self ages ago that when I graduate I would treat myself to a decent coat, watch and haircut.

Where will we find you in 12 months?

Hopefully in a studio space somewhere full to the brim with lots and lots of lovely things.

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Further Info

www.josephmann.co.uk
www.vimeo.com

About the Author

Alex Bec

—

Alex is co-founder of It’s Nice That. Once one of the main contributors to the site, he stepped back from writing as the business expanded. He currently works across It’s Nice That, Creative Lives in Progress and If You Could Jobs.

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