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Pink Floyd animator Ian Emes dies

Posted July 28, 2023 by Floydian Slip

British artist and film maker Ian Emes, perhaps best known for his work with Pink Floyd, died last week at 73.

Emes created the animations that the band played during its performances of “Speak to Me,” “Time” and “On the Run” — all from “The Dark Side of the Moon” (1973). He also created a 55-minute film for the band’s “The Endless River” album in 2014; and a film to accompany “Nothing Part 14,” a 7-minute piece recorded by Floyd as part of the making of “Echoes” from “Meddle” (1971), and included in The Early Years: 1965–1972 (2016) boxset.

He also directed a film shown during Roger Waters‘s performance of “The Wall” in Berlin, Germany, in 1990.

Emes’s association with Floyd began in 1972 when keyboardist Rick Wright saw Emes’s animated short “French Windows” on the BBC’s “Old Grey Whistle Test” and contacted the artist. The piece was set to Floyd’s “One of These Days.”

“Pink Floyd called me!” Emes told The Birmingham Post in 2010. “They were my gods and they wanted to see me. I thought I had done something wrong initially. I thought they wanted to tell me off.”

On the contrary, the band commissioned Emes to create the “Dark Side” animations.

Emes also created a film for Linda McCartney‘s “The Oriental Nightfish,” recorded by Wings; a video for Duran Duran‘s 1982 track “The Chauffeur”; and did work for Mike Oldfield.

One comment on “Pink Floyd animator Ian Emes dies”

  1. David Maceira says:

    Rest in peace Ian. Peace love and hope to the family members.


Posted in Passings | 1 comment