James Kuwamura didn’t have one team in the World Cup, but three – and he’s made a Risograph homage to each

James Kuwamura doesn’t just have a team in the World Cup, he has three: England, Japan and Scotland. He likes to create things that are tied to who he is, which is why his newest Risograph animations directly reference his triple heritage and trio of teams. The commercial motion designer and artist uses motion design tools to create animations which are printed using an old Risograph printer from the 80s, resulting in bold monotone designs with sequencing that adds rich textural details which dance in motion. After the success of his brilliant 616 frame anti-racist animation, set to the words of poet Nikita Gill poem, Risograph animation is something the artist has been experimenting with a lot this year, beginning with twirling, kinetic animations of figures dancing – all constructed with After Effects, Calvary and using his trusty vintage printer. Since, he’s been animating home movies in CMYK print and leaning further into motion design with beautiful footy-inspired animations.

His experience in commercial motion design bleeds into these personal Risograph works – they share of the toolsets available to him. “I was struggling to find the perfect video of a flag so I switched into 3D software to art direct a simulation of the flag to taste. I can’t imagine ever going back to purely digital animations for my personal work, so the future is very analogue for me,” says James. “This is the opposite of general discourse when it comes to motion design and perhaps that’s why it’s a good direction to head towards.”

As an artist that is part of a shared studio called Engine House Studio, he is inspired by the eleven people who he shares it with, particularly Paul Hallows and Japanese motion designer Hiromu Oka. “With regard to the World Cup, I’ve found the celebration of the people and sport despite the state of the world quite inspiring. It’s nice to feel patriotic and remind ourselves of the reasons why we love our nations on the pitch and beyond the game,” says James. “I’d like for England especially to have a renewed sense of patriotism that’s tied to the reasons why our country is great, and take the word away from the people who try to divide us.” Just as his Instagram handle (@Jimograph) suggests, this artist is taking Risograph and putting himself into it, footy team and all.