Born in Birmingham, England in 1949, Ian Emes studied at Birmingham College of Art. He is an award-winning artist and film maker, and is known as Pink Floyd's original animator.
In 1972 he created his own experimental animated sequence called "French Windows" and set it to the song "One of These Days," the opening track for Pink Floyd's 1971 album Meddle. The piece was aired on BBC's "The Old Grey Whistle Test" television show and quickly caught the attention of the band.
Ian was then commissioned by Pink Floyd to create synchronized animated sequences for specific tracks, which would be projected on stage during live concert performances. He created unique animations for "Speak to Me," "Time," and "On the Run," all tracks on the blockbuster album Dark Side of the Moon.
Ian’s animation was the first ever synchronised interpretation of Pink Floyd music - ushering in a new era of concert performances not just for the band but for rock music as a whole. His ground-breaking visuals were projected onto the famous circular screen – aka Mr Screen – at Wembley Arena in 1974. Following a euphoric reaction from the audience, Pink Floyd toured the world with his animation.
In the 1980s, Ian began a parallel career in live-action film and television, for which he has received numerous BAFTA and Academy Award nominations.
Ian continued to work with Pink Floyd and then with Roger Waters, notably projecting animated sequences on the actual Berlin Wall during the 1990 concert "The Wall - Live in Berlin." Seen by over 300,000 people, it was then the biggest rock concert audience of all time.
In 2016, Ian’s iconic "Time" sequence was re-mastered for Waters’ epic projections in his sell-out Us and Them World Tour. The same year, Ian’s "One of These Days" revisited the circular screen in the Roman amphitheatre in David Gilmour’s Live at Pompei tour.
Ian’s most recent collaboration was his feature-length interpretation of Pink Floyd’s ultimate album The Endless River. His works have toured the world with the record-breaking Pink Floyd –Their Mortal Remains Exhibition.
He has garnered numerous international awards, including three BAFTAS and an OSCAR Nomination.
Sadly, Ian Emes passed away in July, 2023.