Yannis Konstantinidis, creative director and founder of London-based production company NOMINT, has combined art, function and safety in an inspiring animated project to benefit the U.K.’s Great Ormond Street Hospital. Launching in conjunction with Giving Tuesday, Konstantinidis banded with animators and directors to produce the world’s first animated mask. The “animated” mask actually comprises several stop-motion animations from 400 unique cloth masks, animated together to create the illusion of a mask with a  parade of colorful moving images. Proceeds from sales of the works of art and functional non-medical grade masks will be donated to the hospital, supporting their imperative medical support and research for children, the latter of which has been halted during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Konstantinidis partnered with animation studios, animators and directors including Giant Ant, Ori Toor, Henrique Barone, Clim Studio, and Rafael Varona, who donated their time and talents to the cause. Pairing his directorial talent with their expertise, he endeavored to transform the mask–now a commonplace and lifesaving accessory in our society–into a beautiful, optimistic and hopeful canvas of creative expression.

This video chronicles how the animated mask came into being.

All animators and directors delivered the animations that would make the 400+ frames for the stop-motion piece to Konstantinidis, one for each mask, who adapted the 2D animations to the unique mask layout. He considered a myriad of potential mask materials, printing processes, assembly, and more, to craft the most durable, colorful and usable mask for this artistic experiment. He prioritized vibrant, whimsical animation sequences, aiming for pieces that would instill hope and positivity. After reformatting the animations and printing on masks, they were next assembled using a denim outer layer and cotton inner lining, before being filmed in sequence to bring the illustrations to animated life.

“Animation at its core has always been about taking something inanimate and mundane and bringing it to life, with a new sense of magic and excitement,” noted Konstantinidis. “Reframing a face mask as a fresh canvas allows for artistry that may open people’s eyes to the endless possibilities around us.” 

Konstantinidis allocated mask sales to the Great Ormond Street Hospital to benefit their annual fundraising efforts to help support the backlog of procedures and services paused in the wake of the pandemic. A local staple and unfortunately a common visit for many Londoner parents, they rely on the donations of the public to maintain operations, fundraising as much as £100M per year. 

NOMINT has produced commercial animation projects for brands worldwide including Google, Coca-Cola, Dior, Dell and Nestle.

Credits

Creative/Production NOMINT Yannis Konstantinidis, creative director/founder. Animation Giant Ant, Ori Toor, Henrique Barone, Clim Studio, Rafael Varona

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