Expecting (2003)
Isobel Knowles & Van Sowerwine
with Liam Fenessey
Expecting (2003)
An interactive stop-motion animation about a futuristic child’s playroom.
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Experimenta House of Tomorrow Tour
September 2003
Black Box, Melbourne -
Written, Directed and Animated by Isobel Knowles & Van Sowerwine
Installation and set design created in collaboration with Liam Fennessey
Sound Design Cornel Wilczek
Armature Scott Ebdon
Silicon puppet Fiona Edwards
In the future, children don’t make friends, they give birth to them. So, what happens when a child’s fantasy of a living, breathing doll becomes a reality?
Meet Charlotte, an 8 year old girl. With a squeeze of her teddy bear, she gives birth to a playmate.
Expecting blends the real, the virtual and the not too distant future to examine the very contemporary notions of isolation and detachment. In an environment that appears nurturing, yet is ultimately controlling and lonely, a child’s body combines with a teddy bear to become a baby-making appliance. Your interaction with Charlotte does not serve to liberate her. Despite your best intentions, you can only perpetuate her disengagement with the social world.