Katherine O'Connor

Katherine O’Connor is an academic, director, writer, and artist located in the Northeast of England, where she specializes in animation and installation art. She has produced multi-award-winning short animated films that have been showcased on international platforms. Her latest film, "Potter’s Mirror," received the Best Animated Short award at the Silver Wave International Film Festival in Canada and was honoured with a Jury Citation at the 44th Toman Eddison International Film Festival. This work was recently reimagined for a site-specific exhibition at the Animex International Animation, Games and VFX Festival.

Katherine's creations have been featured at prestigious events, including the London International Animation Festival, StopTrick, Stuttgart Trickfilm International Animated Film Festival, and the Hiroshima International Festival. Her films have also been broadcast on BBC Three, Yorkshire Television, and presented at the Channel 4 Rolling Stock Festival.

Beyond her filmmaking, Katherine's taxidermy installations have been commissioned by various galleries and museums in the Tees Valley region. Her academic writings have appeared in edited collections, including the recent publication "The Uncanny and the Afterlife of the Gothic," edited by Manuela D’Amore.

Her research writings examine themes of the uncanny and the human experience through animation, alongside issues of bias and representation within the field. These topics are further explored in her forthcoming book chapter, "Pinched: A Study of Perpetual Racial Stereotypes in the Animated Form," which underscores the significance of the 'critical creator.' Additionally, she is interested in the relationship between artificial intelligence, the human and the uncanny.