Mary Martins is a London based lecturer and multidisciplinary artist, working with film and animation. Her ideas are often of a philosophical nature as it enables her to work with a great degree of autonomy.
Currently, she is interested in producing a series of philosophical essay films 'a treatise' as an exploration of transcultural art in its various manifestations in order to make
sense of how we inhabit the world beyond sense-perception and appearance.
She experiments with various indexical mediums in order to push the parameters of documentary animation practice and search for new ways to depict our reality.
These abstract methods combine non-representational images with narrative, and in the wider scope, unravel interesting ways to relate these to current social issues.
Her research places great emphasis on the key strengths of the documentary animation practice; its ability to be placed into historical,
contemporary philosophical and theoretical contexts - discovering new ways to conceptualise these genres.
In an attempt to push boundaries within her work, she juxtaposes various traditional filmmaking techniques retaining the rich elements of our past.
Alongside her creative practice, she works in the educational technology sector, producing visual content for clients such as Tommy Hilfiger, Department for Education, Apple and Johns Hopkins University.
Royal College of Art
MA Animation: Documentary
University of East London
BA Animation & Moving Image
University of the Arts London, LCC
Animation (Foundation Degree)
University of Birmingham
BA Philosophy
Blog - Earliest Childhood Memory
[view the R&D work]
Animation: Practice, Process and Production (Intellect Press)
[Read the published paper]
Animated Documentary.com
[Read the article]
British Film Council: Animated Documentary
[Online talk]
TACO! The Living Quality of Light, Time and Form
[Review of the exhibition]
January 2023 - British Shorts Berlin***
January 2023 - London Short Film Festival***
November 2022 - London International Animation Festival***
October 2022 - Factual Animation Film Festival***
September 2022 - Spark Animation Festival***
August 2022 - Edinburgh International Film Festival***
November 2021 - Lagos International Film Festival***
September 2021 - An Alternative Night of Experimental Film***
June 2021 - Thamesmead Arts and Culture Office (TACO)***
December 2020 - ISSF ŻUBROFFKA, Poland ***
October 2020 - Accelerate Sessions: Animation Documentary, Animate Projects UK***
October 2020 - The Wellcome Trust***
October 2020 - Multi-story Orchestra, Gaia Festival, UK***
June 2020 - Annecy Animation Film Festival ***
January 2020 - 13th Lichtspielklub Short Film Festival, Berlin ***
August 2019 - FilmAid Festival 2019, Kenya***
March 2019 - International Film Festival, Assen, Netherlands.
November 2018 BBC4***
August 2018 Leeds Animation Workshop
May 2018 - BBC/BFI Animation 2018 commission.***
January 2018 - Artist in Residence at The Motherhouse Studios, London ***
November 2017 - Left Overs Exhibition 198 Gallery, London ***
October 2017 - Heritage Exhibition at St. Peter's Catholic Church Woolwich with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund***
October 2017 - Ogilvy Roots Exhibition at Sea Containers, London ***
October 2017 - FiLiA Conference for women's rights at UCL's Institute of Education, London ***
September 2017 - 'Wish You Were Here' Thamesmead Festival. Animation for the heritage and regeneration of Thamesmead, London ***
October 2016 - Factual Animation Film Fuss at Genesis Cinema, London ***
October 2016 - Exploding Cinema's Disposable Show at The Cinema Museum, London ***
February 2014 - Animation Photographer for 'Through the Hawthorn' with support from The Wellcome Trust***
December 2012 - Animation Workshop Leader for Crisis, London ***
July 2011 - Animator 'Creation' Estonian Cultural Endowment, Estonia ***
November 2011 - BFI Film Festival - 'Slow Derek by Dan Ojari***
Cultural Institute of Radical Contemporary Arts
Winner, CIRCA x DAZED Class of 2022
McLaren Animation Award - Edinburgh International Film Festival
Nominated, 2022
Creative Debuts
Winner, Black Artist Grant 2022
Procreate Project
Winner, Mother Art Prize 2017
Factual Animation Film Festival
Winner, Best New Voice 2017