“Meeting MacGuffin” continues the tale which began in a post-apocalyptic future where a new breed, a group of scientists called the Clothespin Freaks, are reassembling the fragmented remnants of humanity in order to give humanity a second chance to restore balance to the world.

The script for “Meeting MacGuffin” made it into the Quarter Finals (Top 40 Shorts) at the renowned Cinequest Screenwriting Competition in 2015.

“Meeting MacGuffin” was crowd funded via Hatchfund. Here is a link to the trailer for Meeting MacGuffin: https://vimeo.com/170560848

Born in Barcelona, Spain, and raised in Germany, Catya attended the Werkkunstschule, Köln, before coming to New York on a Fulbright Scholarship for postgraduate studies at School of Visual Arts.

In 2003, Plate invented the Clothespin Freak characters, two-headed characters made of clear clothespins, sewn pieces and doll’s body parts, in a series of drawings as “a serio-comic response to our angst-ridden times.” In Plate’s paintings, sculptures, artist’s book and installations, the Clothespin Freaks continue to evolve. In 2009, inspired by filmmakers like Jan Svankmajer and the Bolex Brothers, Catya created Clothespin Freak Productions to bring her “Clothespin Freaks” characters to life through stop-motion animation short films.

Based on Plate’s “Clothespin Tarot” artist book from 2007, “The Reading” was born. In 2012 “The Reading”, was awarded Best Animated Film at the Seattle True Independent Film Festival and received an Outstanding Achievement Award for Experimental Film at the Williamsburg International Film Festival. In 2013, Plate produced “Hanging By A Thread”, the first short in an upcoming trilogy. As of 2016, “Hanging By A Thread” has won 9 awards including a Female Filmmaker Award for Outstanding Achievement at FrackFest, a Platinum Remi Award at the 48th Annual WorldFest Houston and two Awards of Excellence at the prestigious IndieFEST Film and Best Shorts Competition. It has screened in over 22 film festivals in the US and abroad, like the Academy Award-qualifying St. Louis International Film Festival. Catya has recently been added to the prestigious GREAT WOMEN ANIMATORS list and was a juror for animation and expea juror for animation and experimental film at the celebrated Brooklyn Film Festival.

Catya heads to Spain at the end of February to conduct a workshop with students from the Fine Arts School. The resulting animation will be screened at ANIMAC in Lleida, Spain, as part of the upcoming ANIMAC International Film Festival. The title of the workshop is– WATER IS LIFE: IMAGINING A WORLD WHERE WATER IS THE RAREST AND MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE. Following this “Meeting MacGuffin” hits the International film festival circuit. Several film festivals have already asked about hosting the world premiere of “Meeting MacGuffin.”

Plate’s mentor, Heather Dell, Art Historian and Director at Magnan Metz Gallery in New York says, “Catya Plate conveys her delicious and devilish vision with humor, wisdom, and a big helping of incredible technical and creative execution. Her work is incredibly successful, proving that Third Generation Feminist artists have as much to contribute to Contemporary Art as their predecessors. Plate’s unapologetic reclamation of once feminized materials in conjunction with state of the art technology secures her place in this new art historical and film making genre”.

More information on Catya Plate and Meeting MacGuffin at www.catyaplate.com

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Wearable gadgets.

And what better time to talk about that, than during Fashion Week season in New York—and here to do that is fashion and lifestyle reporter Katlean de Monchy, who joins us in studio today. Good morning, Katlean!

Katlean: good morning.

Anchor: And you have your top five hot fashion technology trends this morning!

Katlean: That’s right—fashion and technology are merging more and more and some of the new ideas that are coming out of that merger are really exciting.

Anchor: Okay, let’s get right to it!

Number five!

Katlean: Number five for me is what I call the Battle of the Smart Watches. As you mentioned, Apple should be shipping its much-anticipated watch this Spring, but in the meantime, there are some really great options out there, especially if you are an Android user rather than an iPhone user.

The most interesting to me is the Samsung Gear S, which you see on the left—the one with the bigger display. It’s a watch that can make phone calls without your phone nearby—not even the Apple Watch can do that. And it has a super-bright display called Super A-M-O-L-E-D, which seems perfect for a wearable that you have to use out in the sun and rain. The Samsung Gear Fit is more for workout fiends; you can read your text messages on it but I hope people aren’t going to try that while they’re running along the West Side Highway trail.

Anchor: And they’re retailing for less than the Apple Watch?

Katlean: Apparently—there’s no official word from Apple on pricing yet but Samsung is selling the Gear S for 200-dollars with contract and the Gear Fit for about 120-dollars —and no contract.

(Note: the reason the Gear Fit does not have a contract is because it can’t make calls and therefore does not need its own cellular plan).

Anchor: Okay, what’s at number four?

Katlean:

At number four is a 14-thousand dollar sewing machine.

(Take VO):

Now, you might think, how can a sewing machine cost 14-thousand dollars? But this latest 2015 Dream Machine from Brother—which by the way is the exclusive sewing machine company of Project Runway and its spinoffs—has been declared a Consumer Digests Best Buy. And THAT is really hard to get. It has a huge HD LCD screen—and a built-in design center—and video tutorials—and a camera-like device called an “Innov-Eye” that can scan what you’re trying to do and show you how to sew it or embroider it right on the LCD. So, for people who are serious about creating fashion, 14-thousand dollars for a machine like this really IS a Best Buy.

Anchor: And there are a lot of people who are THAT serious about sewing?

KATLEAN: Oh, yes. The American Sewing Guild, just to name one, has 125 chapters and more than a thousand individual groups. And we wouldn’t have Fashion Week without a lot of last-minute sewing!

Anchor: Ok. Number 3?

Katlean: At number three, Fitness sensors. They’re everywhere right now. They’re in workout clothes like the Hexoskin, which all by itself measures everything about your workout. There are companies like iFit which create a whole ecosystem to measure your health, your diet, your sleep, everything about you. And if you think this is all a bit too much, you can find a good-old-fashioned stylish analog watch, the Activite (Act-i-vi-TAY) watch by a company called Withings, which doesn’t tip you off as a total geek but still measures everything about your activity and sends it to a smartphone. And no one will ever know you’re a fitness maniac!

Anchor: And this is truly catching on as a trend? Wearables for fitness tracking?

Katlean: Yes—one research group says that by just next year more the fitness tracking industry will sell about 80 million devices.

Anchor. Number 2 on your list?

Katlean: At number two, I’ve got a gadget that’s not really a wearable but is really interesting, especially to women, as a tool to help them improve their appearance. It’s called the OKU, the world’s first personal skin coach. It is able to look under the surface using an iPhone-connected sensor that uses a special light to examine your skin and spot problems. It can detect moisture and pigment and wrinkles and all sorts of problems, and the companion App gives you advice on how to treat your skin to have maximum skin health—and the best possible skin appearance.

The OKU, which you can pre-order for 250-dollars, will ship this Spring and comes with a really stylish little dock which would look nice next to any makeup mirror.

ANCHOR: And what if you aren’t an iPhone user?

KATLEAN: They hope to roll out an Android user sometime late this year.

ANCHOR: Okay, what’s your number one coolest gadget at the intersection of fashion and technology?

Katlean: This is really mind-blowing. It’s also very appropriate for Valentine’s Week because it’s all about your heart. The Nymi Band (NIMM-MEE) memorizes your heartbeat, which is unique to you, just like your fingerprint —did you know that, because I didn’t. And no matter what you do, or how high your heart rate gets, that signature is the same.

So—get this—the NYMI band can send a signal to anything you need to unlock, from a car door to a password on your computer, and someday even to a hotel room door that you have booked, and anything else that either needs a password or needs a lock. It really is exciting to think about a future where you don’t need to remember any passwords or carry any keys for anything, you just need to make sure your heart is all good. So with that in mind, happy Valentine’s Day to everyone!

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