Cyriak Harris is an animator and illustrator whose creations have been a firm favorite on the internet for some time. His web-based work has a demented, anarchic charm and can feature anything from decapitated Z-list celebrities in a toilet to giant teddy bears taking over a town on the south coast of England. His YouTube channel has clocked up over a million views and his animations have graced the BBC, Graham Linehan’s sitcom The IT Crowd, and the video for the remix of that Frankie Valli song that was everywhere a couple years back.The Creators Project: What started you off on the path to surreal web animations?
Cyriak: I studied drawn animation at art college but didn't really do much with it until about 6 years ago when I discovered computers and the internet. This was before streaming video took off so I started with simple looping animated gifs which I posted on the b3ta.com message board, and from there they spread like a plague through cyberspace.Whose style do you admire, both contemporary and in the past? Are you a fan of shows like South Park?
I do enjoy comedy shows like that, but stylistically I am more drawn towards surreal artists like Dali, Escher, and Svankmajer. And of course I have to mention Terry Gilliam.Any plans on doing a feature length animation?
That would take me years at the rate I animate, so I'm in no great hurry to climb that mountain—lovely though the view would no doubt be.You've created a kung fu Gordon Brown. Can we expect to see a lucha libre David Cameron animation any time soon?
Cameron is a strange mixture of sinister and bland. There isn't really much of a personality there to take the piss out of to be honest.How do you create your animations?
The software I use is Adobe After Effects. I don't know much about hardware… It's a PC and it probably has more memory than I do these days.With the web you're able to reach a mass audience that pre-YouTube wouldn't have been possible. Is the web the best place for animation, do you think, for new talent to flourish uninhibited?
When you look at the alternative for animators like me before the internet and YouTube… well there wasn't one really, other than animation festivals. And they don't really get the work to their intended audience, which is anyone and everyone regardless of their interest in animation.There's a range of influences in your stuff. What inspires your animations?
It's a combination of things I like, things I don't like, and horrible things.Some of your videos have a Monty Python-esque feel to them both visually and humor-wise. Who are your comedy favourites?
I like surreal comedy, stuff that goes off on strange journeys. I love the stuff that Peter Serafinowicz and Robert Popper get up to, and anything Graham Linehan is involved in.Lots of your stuff is filled with minor British celebrities warped into grotesque creatures. Do you hate celebrity/mainstream culture? Or do you just enjoy poking fun at it?
A bit of both really. It's the hatred that makes it such good food for parody.Some of it is reminiscent of Cassetteboy. Are you a fan? He's a kind of cut and paste sonic prankster, recently made the Dragons' Den mash-up. Maybe you guys could collaborate?
I've been a fan of Cassetteboy for years. I think what we both do is essentially different enough to rule out collaboration though.How important is a site like b3ta to you?
Yeah, b3ta introduced me to the world of gifs and helped me waste a lot of work hours. It’s also a good place to keep up with what's popular on the web. I'm too busy these days to post much there, but I still keep an eye on it.With the meow mix, cows & cows & cows, and Cycles there's lots of repetition. What's the appeal of that? Is it just to mess with our heads?
There's a general theme throughout those videos of chaos emerging out of order. Each new repetition mutates slightly to make the whole thing evolve.What projects are you currently working on?
I'm currently animating my hands doing strange things. Not sure when it will be finished, or if it will be any good—hopefully it will be.
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Cyriak: I studied drawn animation at art college but didn't really do much with it until about 6 years ago when I discovered computers and the internet. This was before streaming video took off so I started with simple looping animated gifs which I posted on the b3ta.com message board, and from there they spread like a plague through cyberspace.Whose style do you admire, both contemporary and in the past? Are you a fan of shows like South Park?
I do enjoy comedy shows like that, but stylistically I am more drawn towards surreal artists like Dali, Escher, and Svankmajer. And of course I have to mention Terry Gilliam.Any plans on doing a feature length animation?
That would take me years at the rate I animate, so I'm in no great hurry to climb that mountain—lovely though the view would no doubt be.You've created a kung fu Gordon Brown. Can we expect to see a lucha libre David Cameron animation any time soon?
Cameron is a strange mixture of sinister and bland. There isn't really much of a personality there to take the piss out of to be honest.How do you create your animations?
The software I use is Adobe After Effects. I don't know much about hardware… It's a PC and it probably has more memory than I do these days.With the web you're able to reach a mass audience that pre-YouTube wouldn't have been possible. Is the web the best place for animation, do you think, for new talent to flourish uninhibited?
When you look at the alternative for animators like me before the internet and YouTube… well there wasn't one really, other than animation festivals. And they don't really get the work to their intended audience, which is anyone and everyone regardless of their interest in animation.
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It's a combination of things I like, things I don't like, and horrible things.Some of your videos have a Monty Python-esque feel to them both visually and humor-wise. Who are your comedy favourites?
I like surreal comedy, stuff that goes off on strange journeys. I love the stuff that Peter Serafinowicz and Robert Popper get up to, and anything Graham Linehan is involved in.Lots of your stuff is filled with minor British celebrities warped into grotesque creatures. Do you hate celebrity/mainstream culture? Or do you just enjoy poking fun at it?
A bit of both really. It's the hatred that makes it such good food for parody.Some of it is reminiscent of Cassetteboy. Are you a fan? He's a kind of cut and paste sonic prankster, recently made the Dragons' Den mash-up. Maybe you guys could collaborate?
I've been a fan of Cassetteboy for years. I think what we both do is essentially different enough to rule out collaboration though.How important is a site like b3ta to you?
Yeah, b3ta introduced me to the world of gifs and helped me waste a lot of work hours. It’s also a good place to keep up with what's popular on the web. I'm too busy these days to post much there, but I still keep an eye on it.With the meow mix, cows & cows & cows, and Cycles there's lots of repetition. What's the appeal of that? Is it just to mess with our heads?
There's a general theme throughout those videos of chaos emerging out of order. Each new repetition mutates slightly to make the whole thing evolve.What projects are you currently working on?
I'm currently animating my hands doing strange things. Not sure when it will be finished, or if it will be any good—hopefully it will be.