Kseniya Simonova, art animator

Kseniya Simonova is a name to know. I first saw this video when my Studio Art teacher, Mr. Barak Smith, showed me this incredible talent that was first seen on the show "Ukraine's Got Talent". Kseniya holds a talent that has not been seen and is quite rare. She has the ability to make sand animation, art that is created with the medium of sand using only sand and her fingers as tools to handle the sand. Her art is not one that can be preserved but the time that the art lasts, it is really miraculous. In the clip above, she is demonstrating her talent through a story line, something that is really creative, giving the art more meaning. The whole concept of this being an animation seems so surreal to me and to many people in the audience as well, especially in minute 5:22 when a woman is being taped to be crying.

Emotions are moved thanks to Kseniya not only because of her talent but with the story that she is telling based on World War II, an event in which many people lived through. To me, this is a great example of design, one that is not permanent but that definitely includes many elements of design; emotion, creativity, planning etc. The design of the sand was definitely played with by her fingers by making different shapes and moving on with the story along with the music that was playing in the background. The designs that she was making were more incredible because she did not have prior experience before coming to the show, and started with sand just as a hobby. The designs that she make convey a story of the past and animate it, coming to life and giving the audience a vivid action of what occurred during those times. My gratitude to Mr. Barak Smith for showing me this video and of course, to Kseniya Simonova for her art animation.

dG