I was a little nervous when I got out of the cab. The facade of 543 Union Street did not exactly scream “gallery.” I wondered for a moment if this was some sort of practical joke. Or maybe, it was like a page out of “Harry Potter” and I had to knock on the brick wall in a certain way to find the entrance. To my relief, two other guests soon arrived for this same event and were also puzzled as to how to get in. Following the suggestion of a stranger and a note on the door, we turned the corner, went up an alley-way and there we found Observatory.

We were greeted by the kind smile of Joanna Ebenstein – a key figure in the creation of Observatory. As we waited for the presentation to begin, we made our introductions and looked around the space. The entrance area was thoughtfully covered with artwork of varying mediums. Among some of the most memorable pieces was a long orange knitted scarf hung across the ceiling and extending down into a bundle on the floor, with pictures of its’ many contributing knitters in a glass case to the right of the heap.

After some chatting with John Dilworth and by my second helping of wine, the presentation began. Dilworth talked us through “The Dirdy Birdy,” “Chicken from Outer Space,” “Hector the Get Over Cat,” “The Mousochist,” “Life in Transition,” and “Rinky Dink.” On the theme at hand (Animators as God) Dilworth vividly expressed his opinions to us in a manner so fluid, so stream-of-consciousness, that no summary would do it justice. Simply put, show up to his next presentation and it will not disappoint; you have to experience Dilworth’s presence to understand. The event also provided the opportunity to see (and buy) some hand-drawn frames of “Courage the Cowardly Dog” with all the original notes written in the margins!

Following the presentation, we all voyaged to Canal, a local bar with a great backyard and get this – unlimited free popcorn! While there, I had the great opportunity to speak further with Ebenstein and another key figure at Observatory: animator and illustrator G.F. Newland. The two have planned many more interesting events for this summer at Observatory. For more on Observatory, check out: www.observatoryroom.org. It is a promising new gallery space as part of the Proteus Gowanus art complex and located in a safe, beautiful and somewhat quaint part of Brooklyn.

Without it being imposed on us, the theme of “Animators as God” lingered in the air through-out the group discussion. Newland expressed his interest in sequential art as Robert Lyons discussed his recent findings on the subject of monsters. Emmet Goodman discussed his revived love of playing bass guitar and Pilar Newton reminisced about her impromptu harmonica performance. In response to me wishing I was half-robot (a result of my recurrent and painful battle with knee dislocation) Dilworth reminded me that the sensation of “raindrops on bare skin” far outweighs any temporary pain we as humans experience. If you accept the notion that God is the ultimate designer, we were all mini-Gods that night – whether it be through the creation of an animated film, or the creation of a gallery space to honor art, or the creation of music, or of thought provoking conversation and advice.

The night ended with the ironic and pleasant twist of most of us being walking distance from home (as opposed to the usual hour and a half trip from the city that we Brooklynites so often endure.) If for nothing else than the close proximity, put Observatory on your list of places to check out this summer. Reasonably priced and visually compelling, this intelligent collective of artists will certainly stimulate your minds. Both Ebenstein and Newland expressed interest in hosting more animation presentations; submissions and ideas for events are welcomed!

John Dilworth tells us of this screening that includes is his new short “Rinky Dink”.

Films Announced for the 3rd Annual Love Actually: Short Films about Love, Sex & Romance

NEW YORK – SCENEPR has announced the films that will be screened at their third annual Love Actually: Short Films about Love, Sex & Romance, on Valentines Day from 7-10pm at the historic Millennium Film Workshop in New York City, NY.

Join us for this non-competitive film event featuring 11 short films from 12 brilliant independent filmmakers. The evening will begin with a pre-mixer with wine & cheese and end with a Q&A with some of the people involved in making the films being showcased, including former Oscar Nominee, Animator John Dilworth.

www.scenepr.com/short-films for details

Article by Emmett Goodman.

This wasn’t a typical ASIFA-East event. The only thing that made this seem like an ASIFA-East event was it took place in the SVA amphitheatre. This was more theatrical. More unpredictable. This was somewhere inside the mind of animator/director John R. Dilworth. Here, the ideas of silliness and anarchy couldn’t have been more realistic.

John R. Dilworth is one of my idols. I knew his name first before any other New York animator (due in no small part to watching Courage the Cowardly Dog as a kid). The style of that show is so unique and surreal. You can’t predict anything, unless you’ve seen a particular episode more than once. The day I first learned of ASIFA-East, I also learned that Dilworth is an independent animator. I was (and still am) hooked onto his style, his timing, and his ideas.

To start the evening off, Dave Levy reiterated a story from his first meeting with Dilworth. Dave remembered an early adventure right out of school. The details were a little mixed, but Dave recalled being very sad, and then he encountered Dilworth, who said something to cheer Dave up: “GET THE F**K OUT OF HERE!!!”

Linda Simensky, formerly of Cartoon Network, had to send her regards to Dilworth via a letter read by Elliot Cowan. In short, Elliot acted as Linda Semensky’s puppet. Fortunately, Dilworth didn’t give Elliot a hard time for it.

Finally, Dilworth took the mic and started off a DVD, telling his life’s story (or at least the parts we were only allowed to see). After a cute baby picture, Dilworth took us through his student thesis, Pierre. After explaining the short, he brought forth his “guru,” animator/proffessor Howard Beckerman. Howard re-told and justified the story Dave Levy told earlier, ending with “GET THE F**K OUT OF HERE!!!”

Up next was Michael Sporn, after Dilworth showed a fluffy clip from Lyle, Lyle Crocodile. Dilworth referred to the clip as “crocodile pedophilia,” which I guess didn’t come as a surprise to anyone else. Sporn told his story of when Lyle, Lyle Crocodile was made and when Dilworth worked for him. The story of when Sporn had two studios: the good (Sporn’s own studio with his own artists) and the bad (CBS studios). Dilworth went on to praise Sporn for the challenges he offered when they worked together.

Next up was Dilworth’s first opus, The Dirty Birdy. If it isn’t Courage, then it should be The Dirty Birdy that introduces one to John Dilworth. After showing the cartoon, Fred Siebert made his appearance, retelling his (and Cartoon Network’s) worries of turning The Dirty Birdy into a series. The series never happened, but Dilworth got his chance again eventually. Poor Seibert, by that point, had moved on and didn’t get the chance to be hounded by the Silly Dilly.

Now we get to Courage. Dilworth presented his Academy Award nominated short, The Chicken From Outer Space, which is always a good laugh. Straight away afterward was Noodles and Nedd, before which Dilworth’s musical collaborator, Jody Grey, gave a demonstration of the short’s musical cues. Then onto The Mousochist, a funny piece Dilworth insists was spur of the moment. Next up is another grand opus, Life In Transition, still a marvel to watch for its beautiful artistry. For the sake of time, Dilworth was convinced not to explain Life’s symbolism. He moved to The Return of Sergeant Pecker, an erotic and evil piece with spontaneous drawing. Dilworth finally admitted that he made this short, under the name Pierre Delarue, to avoid the ire of someone he made the short for.

And finally, we came to the premier of Dilworth’s new short, Rinky Dink. I knew right away it was going to be somewhat erotic, because the main character looks like a bullet, which signifies something naughty. The short has all of Dilworth’s hallmarks: a shocking love story, outrageous sound effects, mixed-media, and inappropriate shows of affection. RINKY DINK!

Dilworth ended the big screen with a collection of Courage screams from Courage the Cowardly Dog. After the clip ended, we got four big surprises.

First, Dilworth came from behind a chalkboard wearing his famous space-suit.

Second, Courage made a physical appearance.

Third, a big surprise with the appearance of actor Marty Grabstein, Courage’s voice actor. He offered his roast of Dilworth, and ended it with a loud Courage (-eous) scream. And everytime Courage screams, I can’t help but lip-sync to the scream as well.

Fourth, Dilworth invited a band to play. This band had an acoustic punk/bluegrass sound, and memorialized Courage with a song.

This evening was certainly very unique, and by far the best ASIFA-East event of the season. Everyone got to laugh, got souvenirs, got to meet Courage, got to watch Dilworth drink from a couple of flasks, and I think we were all reminded that animation knows no boundaries. Neither does Mr. Dilworth.

A great evening. We all love John R. Dilworth. Thank you for reading this.

NOW GET THE F**K OUT OF HERE!!!

NOTE from the Editor:  If you took pictures of this amazing event, please feel free to post them online in our ASIFA-East Flickr group:  http://www.flickr.com/groups/asifaeast/.  All members are invited to join.

ASIFA-East presents – An Evening with John Dilworth

Join us for an unforgettable evening of films, conversation, and surprises, including the ASIFA-East premiere of Oscar-nominated filmmaker John R. Dilworth’s new short, “Rinky Dink.”

* ASIFA-East calendars will be on sale at the event ($10 each), as well as Dilworth merchandise.

SVA
School Of Visual Arts
209 East 23rd Street
(Bet. 2nd & 3rd Ave)
3rd Fl, Amphitheatre
NYC
www.schoolofvisualarts.edu