Notes on the film
This stop motion film uses a macro lens to animate materials on a granular and amplified scale. The film is a collage of sand particles and banknotes collected from over fifty countries, immersing viewers in a political history of global capitalism of currency extraction and circulation. The medium of sand becomes a metaphor for the individual and the collective —each grain is distinct and autonomous, yet together they form a flowing mass endowed with its own qualities.
Using sand as the catalyst for motion, the film drifts through a series of interconnected vignettes inspired by the representational imagery printed on various banknotes. Digital cutout animation enables the iconography on paper currency to be layered and animated alongside the textured currents of moving sand.
-
recurring motifs on banknotes, such as portraits and numbers, draw attention to political narratives and to the passage of time
-
recurring motifs on banknotes, such as portraits and numbers, draw attention to political narratives and to the passage of time
-
recurring motifs on banknotes, such as portraits and numbers, draw attention to political narratives and to the passage of time
-
recurring motifs on banknotes, such as portraits and numbers, draw attention to political narratives and to the passage of time
The geographic specificity of sand is made visible through its varied colours and textures—each sample carrying traces of its geological origin. The banknotes also carry distinct markers of national identity, such as iconic figures and innovations. Assembled together, however, they form a panoramic collage, in which national symbols overlay and seep into one another, dissolving the boundaries we often imagine as fixed. Replacement animation of similar portraits and serial numbers acts as a visual throughline across the film. Moving alongside the banknote canvas, sand becomes a metaphor for capital itself—extracted, fragmented, and circulated across networks of international exchange.
-
production images showing the setup and the process of moving each grain of sand
-
production images showing the setup and the process of moving each grain of sand
The film’s method of sand macro animation, which Parks helped develop and innovate, demands patience and precision. Animating on such a tiny scale invites a meditative appreciation for overlooked and minute details. This altered sense of scale is thematically echoed in the film, as individual grains accumulate to build a portrait of a millennium of human history. As Parks notes, “through the filter of my own limited perspective, I found national stories connecting and overlapping in unexpected ways. Canada’s interstellar pride meshes with the gothic arches of Prague’s St. Salvator’s Church. Portugal’s colonial conquests intertwine with Singapore’s nostalgic market economy. India’s signature animals wallow beneath a Chinese waterfall.”
animated banknote motifs move in a horizontal scroll, forming a seamless collage of human history
Studio Tour with Corrie Francis Parks
Explore the setup behind Corrie Francis Parks’ sand macro animation process in this behind-the-scenes studio walkthrough.
Corrie Francis Parks Studio Tour
Animating with Sand
Corrie Francis Parks’ book Fluid Frames: Experimental Animation with Sand, Clay, Paint, and Pixels includes a chapter dedicated to sand animation techniques.
Fluid Frames
