(Image: Supplied)
An award-winning animator and director who has worked with some of the world’s most recognisable names in television and music has designed the mascot for a North East games festival.
Ms Kettu, who has worked with Aardman Animations, DreamWorks and Universal Pictures, created the character for the Animex festival at Teesside University from November 16 to 21.
Ms Kettu has nearly 30 years’ experience in animation and immersive media, working on Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Creature Comforts.
She has also created music videos for artists such as Radiohead, Katy Perry and Father John Misty.
This year’s mascot is Taylor the Tardigrade, a playful 3D character inspired by microscopic creatures famed for surviving extreme conditions.
Ms Kettu said: "Tardigrades are microscopic animals found all over the world, from mountaintops and deep-sea trenches.
"I find them fascinating, just like animators.
"And just like animators, they endure a lot and are very resilient to pressure and changing conditions.
"They survive and do their thing."
She said the mascot reflects the demands of animation.
Ms Kettu said: "Animation is a constantly evolving craft and as animators, we constantly need to adapt and problem solve daily, while having fun creating awesome things and enjoying what we do.
"Taylor the Tardigrade has many arms to do many different things because they have many skills, just like an animator."
She hopes Taylor will inspire people starting out in animation.
Ms Kettu said: "I hope Taylor will bring inspiration to the students and reassurance that they too can be the animator they want to be.
"It just takes a bit of resilience.
"And even if it is hard sometimes it is a rewarding and fun job."
A former Animex industry speaker, she will present a festival retrospective featuring puppets and stop-motion animation from her work.
She said: "I’m looking forward to seeing lots of my projects and puppets in one place, as they’re currently arriving from all around the world for the exhibit."
Festival organisers asked Ms Kettu to design the mascot after a conversation last year.
She said: "I had a puppet with me that I’d made for a Katy Perry video and we started talking about how it would be good to have a 3D mascot, rather than the usual 2D mascot.
"I was honoured and delighted to be asked.
"I put forward a few sketches with suggested characters but Taylor was a winner from the start."
Dr Jo Noble, a principal lecturer for external events at Teesside University, praised Ms Kettu’s work.
Dr Noble said: "We've had some amazing Animex mascots over the years from very talented artists from the worlds of television, film and games, but Taylor is our very first stop-motion model.
"As soon as we saw Virpi's utterly gorgeous work at Animex last year, we immediately asked her to create the next character.
"It was really exciting when Taylor arrived on campus and we met them for the first time.
"Having a physical mascot opens up exciting possibilities, including allowing students to create short stop-motion animations featuring Taylor.
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"We can't wait for people to meet the newest and possibly cutest member of the Animex mascot family."
Animex attracts hundreds of students, industry professionals and fans of animation, VFX and gaming each year.
The festival features industry speakers, workshops, free seminars and portfolio reviews offering feedback and advice.