On Departure
This extraordinarily moving short animation depicts the artist’s journey home from Australia to Ireland after losing his brother to suicide. From the ominous ringing of the telephone at the very start to the confusion and isolation of a a busy airport. The visuals are exquisitely stripped down and reduced to simple layers of shapes and a limited palette, reminiscent of the Bauhaus and constructivism posters of the 1920s. After the denial felt throughout, the ending visuals represent Duffys’ four remaining stages of grief -the anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance. Duffy obviously has a deep understanding of effective use of audio. Stephen Rennicks haunting music and brilliantly understated sound design by James Daly really do complete the piece.
