Aoife Rhatigan is a 22 year old artist and illustrator from Kilkenny. She has loved drawing since she was a child, inspired by her dads own penchant for drawing, along with her grandmother, Judy Rhatigan, who has been painting for years. Judy will be known to many for her publication of The Raggedy Bush Poems and her novel Beyond the Briary Wood. It would appear that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, as granddaughter Aoife is immersed in the world of the arts.
Aoife recently graduated with a BA in Animation & Motion Design at Limerick School of Art and Design where her thesis film ‘Stepping on My Own Foot’ won the award for Best 2D Animation, presented by Lighthouse Studios, which many will recognise as a local animation studio in St. Kieran’s College. Aoife visited the offices recently where she met the head creative of Lighthouse, Gilly Fogg, where she did a tour of the studio and discussed her film.
‘Stepping on My Own Foot’ is a two minute long animation which features a dual screen. The film is meant to act as a mirror for the viewer, as they can hopefully project their own thoughts, experiences and dreams onto the ‘being’ character. The story follows a series of memories from someone’s life, with a combination of universal themes and absurdist influences, creating a dreamlike quality. As we follow these memories we also see the being climbing a seemingly never ending staircase, each vignette on the right impacting his ascent in different ways. The stairs are a symbol for daily life, and how our individual and collective experiences can impact each step on our journey.
