Centre of Image and Narrative Techniques
History and activities

The Centre of Image and Narrative Techniques is an initiative of the Modern Art Centre José Azeredo Perdigão of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

Founded in 1987 by José Pedro Cavalheiro, CITEN started as a drawn Animation studio. After 1993 its various fields were consolidated by developing areas common to narrative and image.

CITEN organizes long and short duration courses in the following areas: 2D/Drawn Animation, Stop Frame Animation, Illustration, Sequential Art/Comics, Sript Writing (writing for Illustration, Sequential Art, 2D Drawn Animation and Stop Frame Animation).

The pedagogical proposals of CITEN explore the crossroads between these research areas, with an applied and intense teaching process. The programs are based in synthesized language (pictograms) and the creation and exploration of common exercises that generate hybrid universes of expression and gradual experiences related to different narrative techniques.

During its long existence, CITEN has also promoted international encounters, publications and exchanges as well as continuous pedagogical research.

We can refer to publications in both book and dvd format, Cinema cycles, international seminars on the teaching of Animation Cinema - involving and creating bridges between institutions and schools, such as FBAUL (Fine Arts School), Ar.Co, Restart, and several pre university schools.

These initiatives would have never been possible without the support of the following institutions: ICAM-Cinema, Audiovisual and Multimedia Institute, Bedeteca de Lisboa and LIN-Numeric Image Laboratory of Ângouléme of CNBDI (Centre National de Bande Desinée et Image), that maintain a cooperation protocol with CITEN.

The coordinators of the CITEN are José Pedro Cavalheiro and Fernando Galrito.