I used motion graphics animation to investigate gender identity and expression in current society via visual storytelling. I chose animation for this investigation because of the narrative nature of timed-media storytelling. As a narrative device to discuss gender, I relied on the Ancient Greek story “The Myth of Soulmates,” in which man and woman were originally one, but are separated by angry gods; and the myth of Hermaphrodite, in which man and woman start out separately but then are combined into one entity. The Greek belief that man and woman were originally joined in one body allowed the people of Ancient Greece to perceive gender more fluidly than in the current Western world. My capstone project is a modern retelling in which both myths are combined into one cohesive story, using modern design aesthetics and character design.
