Marcondes’ Tyger – Zoamorphosis

One particularly marvellous adaptation of Blake's "The Tyger" is "Tyger" by Guilherme Marcondes, a Brazilian illustrator and animator who does commercial work for clients such as MTV, BBC and Nickleodeon, but also finds time to produce marvels such as this video short from 2006.

As Marcondes explains on his web site (http://www.guilherme.tv/tyger/about.htm), the project was commissioned by Cultura Inglesa (a branch of the British Council in Brazil) and won some twenty awards after it was released. The combination of puppetry, with two black-clad figures controlling the rampant tiger in a fashion reminiscent of Bunraku theatre, and animation with music by the group Zeroum creates a vivid piece where the people of Sao Paulo transform into fauna as the tiger passes by. In Marcondes's own words:

Our intention isn't to illustrate or pay homage to the original text. This is one of our favorite poems and Blake's dystopian vision of the modern world is still strong. Although different from the other pieces in "Songs of Experience", where "The Tyger" was originally published, this one gives us a hint of wonder along with a fear of progress. The tiger is as much dangerous as it is marvelous and this ambiguity makes us avoid the pure romantic negative vision of society.

A copy of "Tyger" can be downloaded from http://www.guilherme.tv/tyger/.

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