La Danse Macabre

An experimental stop-motion animation made with a piece of yarn.

An old beekeeper and a little boy look into a hive. A brown-yellow shape and a black ball of a motile swarm begin to move on the surface of the screen. Physical reality turns into abstract forms.

In the last days of World War 2, people of various ethnic background meet in a Polish military hospital in a small German town, whereas a Nazi SS division hides in the local forests and tries to move westwards.

Paper cutouts over images of mixed colorful liquids, creating hypnotizing swirls and aesthetic explosions, as well as combining original and futurological sounds. Starting with the relentless hunting of antelopes, the geometric cutouts show the constant struggle between the warring groups. We have been observing it since the primeval times, when the tools of the battles were arches and spears, through the times of the domination of swords, later replaced by firearms. The increasing automation and power of war machines, the emergence of tanks and aircraft, eventually the use of weapons of mass destruction lead to total annihilation

A swarm of locusts teases a herd of horses. A four-wheeled vehicle drives into the herd. It pulls behind its riders, the horses, and the insects. The gallop is more and more dynamic, gravediggers prepare coffins for crazy drivers.

An experimental animation by Kazimierz Urbański about transportation. Combines various techniques: traditional cartoon film, cut-out, documentary photos, animation of objects, and effects caused directly on the tape.

An animation with social commentary. Kazimierz Urbański uses symbolism and abbreviations to depict emerging conflicts between social classes. The whole work is realized in a form characteristic of the author, created through appropriate production processes directly on film stock.

Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz, better known as Witkacy, enivsages the future horrors of the Polish nation, as embodied by Stalin and Hitler, and the world collapsing into chaos.