Epoh Beech's 'The Masque of Blackness' is a hand drawn animation re-imagining elements of alchemical symbolism in Ben Jonson's 1605 play The Masque of Blackness and the legacy of colonialism and corruption of power in Joseph Conrad's 1899 novella Heart of Darkness. Created over 7 years out of thousands of charcoal drawings, the animation weaves aspects of both texts together and explores the spirit of place to take you on a journey from West Africa to the Thames in London and the Rhine in Germany. The work focuses on the connection between rivers and the imagination and has themes of moonlight, oceans, unexplored territory and mythological and alchemical symbolism. Our guides on the journey are Hermes, a grey seal, and Pegasus, the winged horse. They are both unconstrained by the straight jacket of time.
'The Masque of Blackness’ re-imagined by Epoh Beech
Drawn and Animated by Epoh Beech
Music by Esben Tjalve
Editing and Sound Design by Matthew Thomas
Compositing and Digital Animation Matthew Thomas
Directed by Epoh Beech
Produced by Epoh Beech
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