Julia is a Berlin-based animator whose raw, visceral work blurs the line between the everyday and the absurd. Fuelled by chaos and early internet culture, her animations explore alienation, belonging, and the dream-adjacent. She also bleach-paints upcycled clothing and has been a KAOS member since 2025, with a workshop in the works.

How did you get into animation, and what drew you to this medium in the first place?

In 2009 when I was 12 one of my favorite things to do was to hang out on YouTube. I browsed fan-made music videos and early memes, some of which were animated (my personal favorite was the eerie series Charlie The Unicorn)

The process behind such creations fascinated me and after doing some research I was experimenting with the software on my first computer.

GaiaOnline was also a big place of inspiration for me. It’s a combination of a social media platform, forums and online hangout where you could build your own avatar. Because I didn’t really connect with a lot of people in the small town I grew up in I spent a lot of time on Gaia talking about art and exchanging tips with people who were also into drawing. You could say that this is where I started my career as a digital artist at the age of 13 (earning money in GaiaCash for drawing people’s avatars).

I always liked the comedic value of animation, especially on the bizzare side. Another big source of early inspiration was Terry Gilliam’s cut out animations I saw in the Monty Python films which made me experiment with analog stop motion techniques.

How would you describe your animation style, and how has it evolved over time?

The words that first come to mind are raw, rough, dynamic with a solid pinch of goofy.

Someone once described my works as visceral which I really liked.

Over time I see a lot more abstraction or dreamy distortion in my works. Nowadays I quite like connecting the human, every day experience with the dream realm of absurdity and distortion.

Are there certain themes or moods that consistently show up in your animations?

There are definitely some themes I see coming up almost every time such as alienation from a group, a yearning for belonging and perhaps a vague longing for nature. Each time I approach a new project whether it’s a short film or a series of drawings those themes come up naturally. It must be a way of me dealing with those themes in my own experience of life.

What does your creative process look like when you start a new animation, from the first idea to the final frame?

It’s all a chaotic mess. That’s how I work best. I tried being tidy and going step by step in a more organized manner but that somehow makes my process derail itself. This shows up for example as me starting the animation process without knowing what the ending will be. It somehow always shows up in the process of making it, as if it makes the decision about what it wants to become.

I go back and forth on all the different stages of production sometimes making radical decisions very close to the end of the process.

It’s important for me to be entertained by the work that I do. If it doesn’t happen its hard for me to continue. Once I catch the groove and I understand the personality of the film I can have a very intense lock-in moment. This is where my process begins to get a lot more organized and harmonious.

Which techniques or tools do you prefer to work with, and why?

I would love to work with analog techniques because I adore the visual personality and imperfections of them, but I am travelling around a lot and I need a more mobile setup, so I mostly animate on my graphic tablet inside of Photoshop.

Recently I discovered Toon Squid on the iPad which allows me for even more mobility! I love animating while being on the FlixBus!

Is there an animation project you’re especially proud of or that holds special meaning for you?

On my 4th year of studies I made a 17-minute documentary about the underground music scene in Łódź where I lived and studied at the time. It was an excuse to talk to all my favorite musicians and express my love for them and the city. I decided to do it in 3D and I had to learn my way in Blender in a very short time. It was a wild ride fueled by passion and love. There were so many challenges on the way but the energy and determination I had along the way was something I wish to have in more of my projects.

What brought you to KAOS, and how does creating in a community environment influence your work?

I got to know the space through an animation Telegram chat I got invited to shortly after moving to Berlin. Toby&Michelle organized a picnic on the terrace in the summer of 2025 and by September I became a member!

I absolutely love it here. The space fills me with inspiration every time I step into it. Somehow it wakes up a new need in me to step away from the computer and start making things with people. For at least another month I will be working on my graduation project, but after that I’m thinking about putting together a kind of workshop… stay tuned.

You also upcycle clothing on the side. Do these two worlds inspire each other in any unexpected ways?

Yes! I have always loved thrifting and editing clothes. When I was small my parents had a screenprinting workshop in the basement and were selling tshirts they made at music festivals. I feel like that passion for textile was instilled in me at that time. I found a great way to weave drawing into that by finding out about bleach. Using a paintbrush I apply the bleach onto different natural fabrics and create patterns that are permanently burnt into the surface. I think the dreamy aspect of my works I mentioned earlier really comes out in this technique. It also satisfies the need to work with an imperfect analog technique that always surprises you in new ways. Also it’s functional because people can wear those things and feel warm!

Instagram: @albatro

Website: https://juliamarchowska.com/

Photos ©Julia Marchowska