Ashmolean Museum: Octopus Jar

In July 2022, just before I graduated, I had the opportunity to work with the Ashmolean Museum of Oxford to create a short animation showcasing one of the objects displayed at the museum. After being shown a list of objects, I decided to work with a octopus jar found in the palace of Knossos, as animating an octopus floating underwater sounded like both an exciting and terrifying challenge! The final project showcases the vase and the octopus, who jumps out of its place in the vase and takes us on a journey detailing the origins of the object and the Minoan civilisation. It also features wonderful voiceover work by Esther Thomas. The museum also collaborated with eight other young animators, so make sure to take a look at their amazing shorts as well!

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This project features a combination of 2D and 3D elements, with the octopus and figures of the Minotaur and Theseus being 2D, while the palace of Knossos and the vase itself are 3D meshes. This project was made in Blender, and the sound design and editing were done in Adobe Audition and Premiere, respectively.

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You can view the complete animation on the Ashmolean Museum's social media accounts: