Forever or for Now?

Forever or for Now? | Winner

A film by Nicolette Axiak & Jelena Sinik

The 2019-20 Australian bushfires lasted 79 days.

Forever or for Now? is a contemplative, tactile stop-motion piece that distorts the experience of time as it reflects on moments from the seemingly never-ending fires. The multi-frame film casts a glimpse into the environmental devastation caused to urban and rural life whilst celebrating the hopefulness of the rare pink flannel flower that emerged exactly one year later.

This traditional handmade animation was produced sustainably by painting on repurposed old acetate cels. Each frame transformed the old plastic into artwork.

"It is little wonder then that we were all drawn to the
winning work Forever or for Now? by Nicolette Axiak
and Jelena Sinik. A concise beautiful meditation
on the recent fires and their effects. The work does
have a triumphant feeling of hope and renewal – an
optimism we all really need right now. We are thrilled
that the work is in a fairly new medium yet managed
to have the intensity and tactile qualities of painting
or drawing that belies its digital format."

- Gosford Art Prize Judges 2021

This film was created in 2021 in collaboration with Nicolette Axiak.

Awards & Exhibitions

First Place Winner, Gosford Art Prize 2021 (+Exhibition in the Gosford Regional Art Gallery, 30th Oct 2021 - 9th Jan 2022).

Finalist, Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize 2022, Australia (+Exhibition, South Australian Museum, Jun 3 - Aug 7, 2022).

Finalist, Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize 2021 (+Exhibition in the Manly Art Gallery & Museum, Nov 12 - Dec 12, 2021).

Finalist, frankie magazine's good stuff awards 2021.

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Production shots of the traditional stop-motion process.