Plastilin, like no other material, stands for metamorphosis. The easily mouldable soft dough can be transformed quickly and playfully, and has long provided an unparalleled creative paradise for animated films, too. This inspiring and endlessly reshapable material is also found in contemporary works of art, whether in the form of installations, photographs or animated videos. And thanks to its technical advantages, pliable plasticine is used in product design as well as in graphic design modelling.

The exhibition Plot in Plastilin is dedicated to plasticine’s wealth of uses in animation and contemporary art and design. These include classic animated films by Jan Švankmajer and Bruce Bickford, which were some of the first to showcase the imaginative expressive force of modelling clay. In addition, the exhibition presents well-known productions such as “Wallace & Gromit” and “Shaun the Sheep”, children’s series such as “Pingu” (a Swiss invention), and experimental films, short movies and advertisements, both old and new, alongside music videos and works of art, all of which demonstrate an ongoing engagement with the unique aesthetic expressiveness of this material.

The exhibition, conceived by the Gewerbemuseum Winterthur, also provides an insight into the history of modelling dough, and gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how an animated film is made. There is a large range of accompanying events, with a focus on colourful handicrafts and animated films.