Super Paintings · 2014—
Oil paintings animated by hand, frame by frame, then revealed through augmented reality.
Discover↓Oliver Bancroft & James Connelly
01 / The idea
Super Paintings re-enact the dance moves from Black Lace's 1981 cult novelty song Superman. Each movement is painted in oil, one frame at a time, before technology folds the sequence back into a single canvas.
The project borrows the poised, lifelike presence of Las Meninas, Rembrandt's late self-portraits and The Laughing Cavalier—then gives that stillness a playful shove onto the dance floor.
02 / Paintings
Look at the original paintings. Choose one to see it large, or explore the collection.
Oil / Canvas / Screen03 / How it works
Every moment is painted by hand in oil on canvas.
The painted frames are sequenced into a short animation.
A screen recognises the canvas and reveals the figure in motion.
“A metamorphosis from oil on canvas into blood and flesh and bones.”
From the original artists' statement
04 / The next frame
Super Paintings began as an experiment in paint and augmented reality. This new home preserves the original work—and leaves room for recovered paintings, exhibition histories, new commissions and whatever moves come next.
