Artwork
Black Anim
Black Anim is a print by Harumi Noda. It dates from 2002 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more prints from this series.
This print by Noda Harumi is part of a 2002 series that mixes old and new. Artists blended Japanese woodblock prints with digital tools. The result was a fresh take on traditional themes.
The project started at Wimbledon School of Art. It shows how art can change when old meets digital. Eyecon, a print lab, made it happen with artists from Japan and the UK.
Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more prints from this series.
Overview
In 2002, a collaborative print project titled Black Anim emerged from a workshop at Wimbledon School of Art, uniting nineteen artists from Japan and the UK. Organized by Eyecon, a digital print research unit established in 1999, the initiative explored how traditional Japanese woodblock techniques could be reimagined through digital processes. The resulting series reflects a deliberate fusion of historical methods and contemporary technology, producing a body of work that bridges cultural and technical boundaries.
Subject & Meaning
The prints in Black Anim reinterpret traditional Japanese visual motifs—such as nature, movement, and pattern—through a digital lens. Rather than replicating historical forms, the artists transformed them, introducing layered textures, algorithmic patterns, and unexpected color shifts. The work suggests a dialogue between inherited aesthetics and modern tools, questioning how cultural symbols evolve when mediated by new technologies.
Technique & Style
Artists combined hand-carved woodblocks with digital imaging, layering scanned traditional prints with computer-generated elements. Ink application retained the tactile qualities of ukiyo-e, while digital overlays introduced precision, repetition, and chromatic complexity. The hybrid process produced surfaces that are both handcrafted and algorithmically structured, creating a visual tension between the organic and the synthetic.
History & Provenance
The project was initiated by Eyecon, a London-based digital print laboratory founded to support experimental printmaking. Conducted at Wimbledon School of Art, the workshop brought together Japanese and British artists for an intensive exchange of techniques. The resulting prints were later acquired by institutions including the Victoria and Albert Museum, where selections from the series remain part of the national collection of contemporary print art.
Context
Black Anim emerged during a period of growing interest in cross-cultural printmaking and digital innovation in the early 2000s. At a time when many artists were re-examining traditional crafts through new media, this project stood out for its structured collaboration between East and West. It reflected broader trends in global art practice, where cultural heritage was not preserved in isolation but actively reconfigured through technological engagement.
Legacy
The Black Anim series contributed to expanding the definition of printmaking beyond analog methods, validating digital integration as a legitimate extension of traditional practices. It influenced subsequent artist-led print initiatives that prioritize collaborative, cross-cultural experimentation. The project remains a reference point in discussions about the evolution of print media in the digital age.
Artist & collection
Artist
Harumi Noda was a Japanese printmaker whose bold, graphic works often star slick black birds in motion.
