Beautiful Insignificance - A New Experimental Animated Short in Production
Beautiful Insignificance is an experimental animation that delves into cultural memory, shared human experiences, and the transformative power of empathy. Rooted in Barany’s Czech and Hungarian ancestry, the project intertwines allegory and historical authenticity to bridge cultural divides and foster meaningful dialogue. Central to the narrative is the Hungarian White Stag, Csodaszarvas, a mythical symbol that parallels Barany’s family’s immigration story.
The story unfolds like a relay race, following selected ancestors across generations as they journey from Czechoslovakia to their eventual home in Wisconsin. Along the way, the animation captures the physical and emotional struggles of migration, offering a deeply personal yet universal exploration of resilience and identity.
Using a hybrid approach of stop-motion animation, digital painting, and rotoscoping, Beautiful Insignificance brings this multigenerational tale to life. Production began in 2024 and is set to conclude in 2026, with plans for submissions to regional, national, and international film festivals.
Beautiful Insignificance - selected production shots
Experimental animated works released in2021 in conjunction with OLGA Vocal Ensemble's newest album, AURORA. The works employ digital rotoscoping techniques in conjunction with the power of OLGA's A cappella performances. OLGA Vocal Ensemble is based out of Utrecht, Netherlands.
Best known for his experimental animations, Barany is a former recipient of the Mary Nohl Fellowship for Emerging Artists in Time Based Media andAnimation.
Since 2005, his experimental animations have been screened at numerous regional and national festivals and venues including Black Maria International, Athens International, Transom Media, Humboldt International, ATHICA, Charles Allis Art Museum, Guenzel Gallery and the Wisconsin Film Festival. Whether static or moving, all of Barany’s work continues to examine and challenge theories of empathy and metacognition through direct personal experience and memory.
Archives: Recital Series
From NEW MEDIA at the Charles Allis Art Museum -
"James Barany is fittingly showcased in the sitting room, where the grand piano suggests a room of musical enjoyment. The music in this case is provided by Barany, who sings with the Florentine Opera in addition to his work as an artist. Stereoscopic images, a favorite entertainment of the 19th century, are blended as digital images with recordings of Barany’s vocals and presented in complex wooden contraptions."
-Wisconsin Gazette, July 28, 2010
Archives: Multiple Intelligences
James Barany employs animation/video to create a series of self-portraits linked to Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. Barany’s latest body of work is the result of a year-long expedition into the self, motivated by a desire to map his deficiencies so that he can better teach himself to change.
According to Lindsey Wolkowicz, Barany -
“Presents his greatest strengths and weaknesses in a manner that is simultaneously vulnerable and clever. He reveals struggles as well as their companion coping mechanisms, displays his multi-faceted talents in opposition to extreme self-consciousness, places gift and grievance alike in front of the viewer, thus exposing a more complex being… a complete self-portrait.”
