10 Questions with Joan Hui Ko

Joan Hui Ko is a stop-motion artist and animation educator based in Los Angeles, CA. She earned her bachelor's degree in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of the Arts in 2022. Originally from the Philippines, Joan moved to China on her own at the age of nine and has since lived in a variety of places, including Manila, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles. Her diverse background reflects a life of movement and exploration, making her versatile, adventurous, and eager to embrace new possibilities. Joan worked as a puppet fabricator for the Backstreet Boys' music video Christmas in New York and also created puppets for commercials for major brands like Jack in the Box, Mattel's American Girl, and Lego for Jurassic Park. Joan currently teaches animation at a private high school in Thousand Oaks, California, and also at the free online animation program Sony Pictures Media Arts Program (SPMAP), with the goal of makinganimation accessible to all.

joanhuiko.com | @joanhuiko

ARTIST STATEMENT

Joan is a stop motion artist who specializes in fabricating armature puppets and miniature sets from scratch. She utilizes natural materials such as wood, leaves, husk, wool, and clay in her art practice. Joan values the role of material—the most fundamental element of fabrication—in storytelling. To Joan, the texture is like a soft-spoken whisper. It is a form of nonverbal language that can only be perceived by touch. Joan not only embraces the tender quality of tactile material but also amplifies its gentle characteristic through subtle movements when animating. The texture itself, the slight jitter it creates when lightly brushed on the surface frame by frame, quietly yet vitally breathes, vibrates, speaks, and comes to life in Joan's work.

INTERVIEW

First of all, introduce yourself to our readers. Who are you, and how did you start experimenting with art?

My name is Joan Ko, and I have been drawn to art since a very young age. As a child, there was always something magical about creating with my hands—I loved the tactile nature of materials and how they could be transformed into something entirely new. That early fascination with hands-on creativity really shaped my artistic journey and eventually led me to where I am today.

What drew you to stop-motion animation? Why did you choose this medium, and what does it represent for you? 

I have always loved storytelling and art, and for a long time, I thought I would pursue 2D animation as my main artistic path. However, something was missing that I felt would truly connect the audience to the characters. I later realized it was the materials themselves that made the difference. The tactile nature of stop-motion brings a unique life to the characters. While 2D animation offers more freedom in how characters can perform, I appreciate how, in stop-motion, physical objects in the real world are bound by the same constraints as us—especially gravity. Just like humans, these materials age over time, adding a layer of authenticity and relatability to the medium. That is why I feel a stronger connection to stop-motion, and it has become my passion since discovering it.

Your background is fascinating, having lived in so many different places, from the Philippines to China and now Los Angeles. How have your travels and diverse cultural experiences influenced your approach to stop-motion animation?

Living in such diverse places has given me a wide range of perspectives to draw from in my work. Each culture has its own unique way of storytelling, its own visual language, and its own traditions of craftsmanship. These different viewpoints have deeply influenced how I approach my animations, from the stories I choose to tell to the way I design my characters and sets. The cultural diversity I have experienced has taught me that there are countless ways to bring a story to life, and that is something I try to incorporate into every project I undertake.

Your work focuses on fabricating armature puppets and miniature sets. What draws you to these specific elements of stop-motion, and how do you bring them to life in your storytelling?

I am fascinated by how stop motion lets me recreate reality with incredible precision, giving me control over every element. For example, even something as natural as wind can be simulated by adding wires under a curtain to mimic its movement. Armature wires also allow me to adjust a puppet's weight and balance, creating a sense of heaviness or lightness that brings characters to life. What is even more exciting is how stop motion can surpass reality-defying gravity and enabling possibilities that would not exist in the real world. This intricate process of building everything, from armature puppets to detailed sets, allows me to convey emotion and nuance in ways that feel both tangible and magical.

As you mention in your statement, you use natural materials like wood, wool, and clay in your practice. Can you explain the significance of these textures in your work and how they contribute to the narratives you create?

Natural materials bring an inherent authenticity to my work that I find incredibly powerful. Just like humans, these materials age, wear, and develop character over time. The way wool catches the light, how wood grain creates subtle patterns, or how clay holds the impressions of touch—all these elements add layers of depth to my storytelling. These materials carry their own histories and imperfections, which make the final pieces feel more alive and relatable to viewers.

You've worked on high-profile projects like the Backstreet Boys' music video and commercials for major brands. What is the creative process like when working on commercial versus personal projects, and how do you balance the two?

When working for clients, my creative input is usually more limited, especially as a puppet fabricator. Clients often have a clear vision in mind, and my job is to either translate the 2D designs they provide into 3D puppets or modify existing IPs—like the American Girl doll—to make them animatable. In many cases, I feel more like an engineer, focusing on studying and creating blueprints to bring the puppets to life. When I am hired as an animator, the client typically gives me a reference video that I need to study and replicate with the puppet. Everything is pretty much locked in, and with a larger production crew, it is often just about following instructions and completing the tasks within the set timeframe.
On the other hand, when I am working on personal projects, there is a lot more creative freedom—sometimes too much, which can make it difficult to make decisions. The crew is usually much smaller, often just me and a few friends who are generous enough to help. I actually appreciate the structure of client work, where creativity takes a backseat. It can be a refreshing challenge to focus on executing someone else's vision and meeting specific requirements rather than constantly generating new ideas.

Stop-motion animation is a highly meticulous and time-consuming medium. What does your creative process look like from start to finish when you're developing a new project?

My process is typically divided into three main phases: pre-production, production, and post-production. I spend the majority of my time in pre-production because locking in the storyboard is crucial; it provides an accurate estimate ofhow many puppets and sets I will need to build. There is always room to refine the story, but to keep the process moving, I have to commit to the version I can develop within the available timeframe. Once I move on to puppet and set fabrication, making revisions is not an option.
Fabrication usually takes the longest. I design all the characters and develop the visual world of the story, which requires multiple rounds of testing. I have to ensure the proportions are correct for both the puppets and the sets, and I also test the lighting with a mock-up set. There is a lot of trial and error because what I envision in my head and what is achievable in reality can be very different. Once pre-production is done, I move on to animating the scenes, which can be quite tedious. During this time, I also start working with a music composer. Even though I can only show them parts of the animation and the animatic, it is usually enough material for them to begin composing. Finally, the most rewarding part is post-production, where I bring everything together in a Premiere file, piecing the story into its final form.

Teaching is an important part of your career. How do you approach making animation accessible to your students, and what do you hope they take away from your classes?

For the past two years, I have been working as an animation instructor with the CalArts Community Arts Partnership (CAP), a co-curricular program that offers free after-school and school-based arts programs for youth. One of my primary goals is to make animation accessible, especially for students with no prior experience. At first, animation can seem intimidating, but the process is often much simpler than people think.
As a teaching artist, I show students how they can create traditional hand-drawn animation and stop motion using any device with a camera—even just their phones. We use a free app called Stop Motion Studio to capture all their work. By introducing these tools, I emphasize how accessible animation can be and demonstrate the unlimited creative possibilities using the resources already around them.
The most important lesson I hope they take away from my classes is not just about applying the principles of animation or designing characters; it is about learning how to slow down and really observe the world. To animate something as simple as a jump, students must study the action frame by frame to recreate it in a 2D world where gravity does not exist. This process forces them to pause, observe, and appreciate the movements we often take for granted in real life.

What are the biggest challenges you've faced as a stop-motion artist, and how have those challenges shaped your artistic growth and resilience?

One of the biggest challenges I have faced as a stop-motion artist is the inherently solitary nature of the work, especially when working on personal projects. Creating stop-motion animation without a full team requires fulfilling many roles alone: from the director to the fabricator to the animator to the editor. While this can be overwhelming at times, it has also pushed me to develop a diverse skill set and become more resourceful in my approach. I have learned to be patient with the process and to find creative solutions when working with limited resources. These challenges have ultimately made me a more well-rounded artist and have taught me the importance of building a supportive community of fellow artists who can collaborate and share resources.

Looking ahead, what new themes or ideas are you excited to explore in your future stop-motion projects? Are there any upcoming collaborations or exhibitions you're working on that you can share with us?

I am really excited about pushing the boundaries of materials in my upcoming projects. Currently, I am experimenting with combining traditional stop-motion techniques with 2D animation elements, which opens up exciting new possibilities for storytelling. I am particularly interested in exploring how different materials can interact with each other in unexpected ways, creating unique textures and movements that have not been seen before in stop-motion. While I cannot share all the details yet, I am currently developing a personal project that will showcase these experimental techniques, and I am also collaborating with several other artists to explore new ways of bringing different animation styles together.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.