After doing the first two tests of the zoetropes, I have found that my sculptures must be larger and more raised; as my research displays (horse animation). I have decided to begin making my first relic zoetrope; beginning with St 'doubting' Thomas. As you can see from my drawing above, I will start with a simple animation of and up-down motion, a pointing finger. I hope to achieve this effect by sculpting a hand, based on the painting by Caravaggio, out of polymer clay and cast another 9. In this way only one of the hands will be the original and the others copies, however, they will all spin together and appear as the same image; perfectly disguised. I am animating a section of a classic painting, just as Michael Landy did in his saints alive exhibition. I hope to 'poke' fun at the fact that there are several of the same relics posing to be the true bone of Saint Thomas. Will the sculpture be raising its hand to poke Christ's wound as he did after resurrection, or will it be rasing its hand to ask a question; am I real or fake?
The incredulity of Saint Thomas, Caravaggio
The hands will all be identical, so the actual animating will come from the various heights of wire that they will be placed on. The sculptures will move up and down once the strobe light hits them whilst spinning.
