Talking Art and Film with Lyndon, from Gum Wrappers to The Matrix
In briefAI summary — tap to read
Lyndon J Barrois Sr, an award-winning director and visual effects expert, shares his creative journey from sculpting chewing gum wrappers as a child in New Orleans to becoming a Hollywood professional working on major films like The Matrix. His unique art form—creating miniature figures from gum wrappers and bringing them to life through stop-motion animation—demonstrates how passion, mentorship, and continuous learning transform creative vision into distinguished careers.
Key takeaways
- Lyndon began making chewing gum wrapper sculptures at age 10-11 in New Orleans, initially as toys for Hot Wheels cars and boxing figures, without initially recognizing it as fine art until a professor pointed out its value.
- His work combines stop-motion animation with visual effects expertise gained through 20+ feature films, using techniques like facial compositing and green screen to blend analog and digital artistry.
- The language of sports and cultural moments transcends international boundaries; his pieces are recognized and resonate with audiences worldwide, from Korea to Miami, because they recreate universal historical moments.
- Specialized skills are essential in visual effects—Lyndon's expertise in character animation demonstrates that aspiring artists should identify and deeply focus on their specific strength rather than attempting all roles.
- Success in creative fields requires intense practice (beyond 10,000 hours), mentorship, collaboration, persistence, and most critically, maintaining joy and fun in the work to sustain motivation through challenges.
About Lyndon J Barrois, SrLyndon J Barrois Sr is an award-winning director, animator, Unreal Fellowship graduate, and visual effects expert who has worked on 20+ feature films including The Matrix. He is known internationally for his unique art form of creating humanistic sculptures from chewing gum wrappers and animating them through stop-motion film.
AI-generated from the meeting recording — AI can make mistakes, so check the recording for anything important.
MEETING FOR THE WEEK OF Mar. 3, 2025
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Program: Talking Art and Film with Lyndon, from Gum Wrappers to The Matrix
Speaker: Lyndon J Barrois, Sr
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Program: Talking Art and Film with Lyndon, from Gum Wrappers to The Matrix
Speaker: Lyndon J Barrois, Sr
We bring you a new program every week on innovation, entrepreneurship, and education and how they contribute to service to others.
In this conversational program, we’ll talk about Lyndon Barrois' work as an artist in the commercial, exhibition, and feature film visual effects world, as well as in the patronage space. We'll expand the artistic umbrella and its many disciplines' impact on culture, commerce and society as a historical tool or mirror that reflects our world.
Lyndon J Barrois, Sr is based in Los Angeles, and is an artist, animation director, and filmmaker. An AMPAS VFX Executive Branch member, Lyndon boasts a long career in art and animation. His film credits include The Matrix Trilogy, Happy Feet, and The Thing, where he directed pivotal character animation sequences in those features and many others.
He regularly wins accolades for his unique gum wrapper sculptures and stop-motion animations of contemporary and historic figures and events, whose portrait and Sportrait films are produced entirely on iPhones. Within the art world, his work has been featured in major institutions like the Pérez Art Museum Miami, the MOCA Los Angeles, the Massachusetts MOCA, The Hammer, the SFMOMA in San Francisco, and most recently added to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s permanent collection, and the SR Foundation in Seoul, Korea. His subject matters range from gender inclusion and excellence in the FIFA World Cup and Olympics, America’s Covid-19 crisis, to past racial uprisings & achievements, and current political or social climates. A New Orleans native and HBCU graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana, Lyndon serves on the boards of The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, California Institute of the Arts (his MFA Alma mater), YA/YA (Young Aspirations/Young Artists), Inc., the Academy Museum’s Inclusion Advisory Committee, the Smithsonian’s Regents Advancement Committee, and a member of the Black Trustees Alliance, fostering programs and supporting exhibitions.
Members and guests, please welcome Lyndon J Barrois, Sr!
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