Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor, Metropolis. Apart from being some of the most defining anime features of all time, they all have one thing in common: amazing city scapes and architecture. Now there’s a new exhibition offering Australians a chance to take a closer look. It runs at the Japan Foundation Gallery in Sydney’s Chippendale from 1 June to 11 August 2018.
The Japan Foundation, Sydney presents Anime Architecture, an exhibition that traces the architectural world-building process of Japan’s most influential animated science fiction films.
Curated by Stefan Riekeles for Les Jardins des Pilotes, the exhibition casts a spotlight on meticulous hand-drawn backdrops that bring to life the fictitious urban environments of iconic cyberpunk anime. The show features original works from famous anime film productions, Patlabor: the Movie, Osamu Tezuka’s Metropolis, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, and Ghost in the Shell.
From location photographs and concept sketches in detailed pencil drawings, through to final expression as anime cells in full colour, illustrations on display include works by Hiromasa Ogura, Takashi Watabe, Haruhiko Higami, Mamoru Oshii and Atsushi Takeuchi, Japanese animators who worked during the peak of hand-drawn animation.
Check out a few cool pieces from the exhibit below. The exhibit is free and you can get more details on their official site.
Concept Design for Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004) by Takashi Watabe © 2004 Shirow Masamune / KODANSHA · IG, ITNDDTD
Background illustration for Ghost in the Shell (1995), cut 477 Watercolour on paper and acrylic on transparent film 270 × 390mm Illustrator: Hiromasa Ogura Copyright: © 1995 Shirow Masamune / KODANSHA · BANDAI VISUAL · MANGA ENTERTAINMENT Ltd.
Background illustration for Ghost in the Shell (1995), cut 477 Watercolour on paper and acrylic on transparent film 270 × 390mm Illustrator: Hiromasa Ogura Copyright: © 1995 Shirow Masamune / KODANSHA · BANDAI VISUAL · MANGA ENTERTAINMENT Ltd.
