Stone Radio Interview: Shaun Tan

warm colors, high emotion

slipped to us from alternate past

worn, well loved

words can hurry you along and demand more attention

no words: move more slowly, interpret more deeply

Vacuuming

Migrant Story, Romanian Woman: Communism sucking life out of birds, 1 eyed prohibition, warped ideal

influenced from film and comics

Subtopic

Fascist, idealized but warped, movie film-like, as in Nosferatu

Tadpole character

4 main reasons for leaving: choice, for educational reasons, to escape prejudice, and refugee situations

started out as landscape painter

the book started out as a series of vast landscapes, so to get into the shoes of the character, needed to get close up

Long pullbacks to give a film-type experience

Influence: Zoom and Re-Zoom, books: everything is connected--philosophical

a small idiosyncratic feature that makes this everyman more personal and connects him to his family

Tan's own father was very good at origami

a favorite childhood book was one of origami, and the pigeon was in that book, which influenced Tan

Pigeon= symbol of separation

make friendships with food

gives character an optimistic experience, as in real life when the help of others is often how this occurs

Food is a metaphor for fitting in

Sharing a meal with strangers infers compassions despite probable language barriers

Letter box is a bird type item in itself/balloon mail

One major influencing artist is Tom Roberts

On-going theme in Tan's books

Influenced by Raymond Briggs', The Snowman

looked at a lot of silent comics-- especially Manga

Tan also did a lot of research on the work of Scott McCloud

the tree showing time passing was a good device that pleased Tan

No favorite picture, but the most difficult ones like as in characters interacting or odd angled objects pleases him

The Land of the Giants took a lot of time to make look like suction and Tan was pleased with the result