Cut, Paste, and Animate: Inside the Curious World of Silkmoth

If you're the kind of person who likes to keep their eyes peeled for odd little wonders in the cracks of the city - rusted signs, forgotten corners, or perhaps a peculiar creature pasted quietly onto a crumbling wall - then you’ll want to read this interview with Silkmoth. Part street artist, part stop-motion animator, and full-time collage conjuror, Silkmoth invites us into a world where paper cuts are badges of honour and the “ugly” bits of the urban sprawl become playgrounds for imagination.

With a delightful honesty, they talk us through their process, their public pastings, and the joy of letting go.

Your work combines collage, stop motion animation, and street art through paste-ups. What inspired you to merge these different artistic disciplines, and how do they influence one another in your creative process?

I started two years ago with my stop-motion collages and I would say that these also make up my main content. At some point, I wanted my creatures to exist in more than just digital form. I thought for a long time about how I could realise this. I've always been fascinated by art in public spaces. When I came into contact with D7606 and he drew my attention to paste-ups, I quickly realised: this is it!

Stop motion is a time-intensive medium that requires patience and precision. Can you walk us through your workflow, from creating the initial collage pieces to bringing them to life in animation?

Haha, that's true! Patience and precision aren't exactly my strengths. But it's definitely a fun way to get better at it.

How my collages are created really varies. Sometimes I already have an idea in my head, and sometimes they are created by simply playing around. Once the idea is born, it's time to file and cut it out. The smaller the things to cut out, the more satisfied I am. I just love cutting out and holding the paper in my hands - there's something meditative about it.

Then it's time to arrange and animate. Sometimes it goes very quickly, and sometimes it takes ages and I have to leave the house to avoid worse (haha).

Once the individual image scenes have been inserted into the programme and I'm happy with the result, it's time to choose the music. Once everything is right for me, the collages are released into the virtual world.

As I film myself while I work, I then edit my "Behind the Scenes" material to break the work process down to around 30 seconds. I actually really like these videos because they give me the opportunity to experience the whole process from a completely different perspective.

Paste-up art transforms public spaces in a unique way. What draws you to this form of street art, and how do you choose the locations for your installations?

The main bonus of paste-ups is that I can hold scissor and paper in my hand again…haha

Apart from that, I just love walking through the streets with my eyes open to find the perfect placement for my pieces.

As my collages are also quite small, they are mostly only discovered by people who also walk through the world with their eyes open.

I have a preference for rusty and worn surfaces, but also for broken windows - in other words, anything that is not "beautiful" at first sight. Finding the aesthetic in the "ugly" makes me happy.

Paste-ups also have something therapeutic for me. Because as soon as I leave my collages to the public space, I no longer have control over my pieces. "Letting go" is the motto. They can be torn up or sprayed over, but that doesn't bother me. I'm all the happier when the pieces stay on the wall for a long time and are allowed to age beautifully.

Your art exists in both digital and physical spaces, from stop motion videos to paste-ups on city walls. How does working across these different environments affect the way you approach storytelling and visual composition?

I would say that when I make my stop-motion collages, it's just me and the paper. I can control this black and white world. I can lose myself in it, maybe even escape. Absurd thoughts are allowed and I don't feel bad about it.

When I then release my collages into the public space, two worlds collide: reality and fantasy. I am also happy every time people find my pieces and share them with me or even post them. I totally appreciate that.

As I've also had the opportunity to collaborate with other artists, this naturally influences my approach and working process. It's fun to share the process with others and get new impulses.

One last question from my 5-year-old boy: Which planet is your favourite in the solar system?

Haha, I see your son is asking the really difficult questions.

I would say that I find Mars totally exciting because it's so similar to Earth - and who knows, maybe there was even life there once. That possibility makes it even more fascinating.

You can follow Silkmoth on Instagram @silkmoth_

Interview by Johnny Larran, 2025.