From the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth:

"Dr. Marc Hairston, Professor of Science at the University of Texas at Dallas, is a research scientist using several NASA and Air Force satellites to study space weather—the effect of the sun’s solar winds on Earth’s magnetic field and upper atmosphere. In addition to his science work, Dr. Hairston is also interested in the scholarly study of anime and manga and is on the board of editors of Mechademia, the first English-language academic journal addressing these topics. He regularly teaches courses at the University of Texas at Dallas examining the themes of science fiction and fantasy in anime and manga, specifically focusing on individual anime creators such as Miyazaki, Shinkai, Hosoda, and Takahata. For the past several summers, Dr. Hairston has enjoyed bringing new and classic anime films to his hometown of Fort Worth through the Modern’s annual ANIME AT THE MODERN series.

Dr. Christine Veras, Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, is a scholar and artist, originally from Brazil, researching the integration of physical and digital technologies to explore the multimedia possibilities of animation. She completed her PhD at the School of Art, Design, and Media at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Among her works, Dr. Veras has invented a new international prize-winning and now patented animated illusion device called Silhouette Zoetrope, which is now part of the permanent collection of the Children’s Museum in Dresden, Germany, and of the Swiss Science Center Technorama in Winterthur, Switzerland. Her fields of expertise combine theory and practice, including disciplines related to the history of animation, cinema, and new media, as well as experimental animation, interactive installations, and graphic design.

SCHEDULE

August 20, 7:30 pm

Mind Game

Special guest speaker Dr. Christine Veras, Assistant Professor of Animation and History of Animation at University of Texas at Dallas

The cult film Mind Game (2004), the first feature animation from the award-winning director Masaaki Yuasa, opens the 2021 Anime at the Modern series—even though this is not a typical anime. Its eccentric plot mixes a wide range of animation styles and techniques. Mind Game follows the wild and surreal story of a young manga artist and his childhood sweetheart through multiple alternative realities as they struggle to get a new chance in life (even though they may already be dead).

(This film is not rated, but due to its sexual and violent imagery, it is strongly suggested for mature audiences only.)

August 21, 11 am

Patema Inverted

Special guest speaker Dr. Marc Hairston, Professor of Science at the University of Texas at Dallas

An overlooked gem, Patema Inverted (2014) is the perfect fantasy fable for our divided times. Patema is a young girl living in a steampunk underground world wondering about a rumored surface world. Age is a boy living on the surface in an authoritarian society with legends of sinners who were snatched up into the sky. When Patema finds her way to the surface world and meets Age, their worlds and their worldviews collide, starting with the key question “which way is up?”

August 21, 2 pm

Earwig and the Witch

Special guest speaker Dr. Marc Hairston, Professor of Science at the University of Texas at Dallas

Earwig and the Witch (2020), the first new feature film from Studio Ghibli in six years, breaks new ground as their first foray into 3D CGI animation. Directed by Goro Miyazaki (son of Hayao Miyazaki), Earwig is based on a novel by the British fantasy writer Diana Wynne Jones, author of the original novel of Howl’s Moving Castle. Left as an infant at St. Morwald’s Home for Children, Earwig lives there until, at the age of 10, she is “adopted” by a witch, Bella Yaga, and her companion, the Mandrake. They have “adopted” Earwig so that Bella can have “an extra pair of hands” as she makes her potions, but Bella annoys Earwig by refusing to teach her any magic. More conniving than the typical sweet anime heroine, Earwig fights back and, in the process, discovers the hidden connection between her captors and her missing mother.

August 22, 2 pm

Ride Your Wave

Special guest speaker Dr. Marc Hairston, Professor of Science at the University of Texas at Dallas

We close the 2021 Anime at the Modern series with a bittersweet rom-com, Masaaki Yuasa’s recent animated film Ride Your Wave (2019). Hinako Mukaimizu, a college student whose passion is surfing, falls in love with Minato Hinageshi, a young local firefighter. But when Minato drowns in a surfing accident, Hinako’s life is shattered until Minato’s ghost returns to her, but with a catch: he can only appear to her in water. Bit by bit, with the help of Minato’s ghost, Hinako begins to move on to learn she can still ride her own wave."