The Long Way Round is the creative partnership of Hannah Caughlin and Jenny Campbell-Colquhoun . Both Londoners, they first began working together in 2005 while completing their Graphic Design BA (Hons) at Central Saint Martins. After finishing their degree, Hannah and Jenny formed The Long Way Round and continue to work together professionally.
Thus far the work has been based in the media of animation and song. Their pieces often take a self-referential approach, commenting on their world as young creatives living in London . They employ humour with satirical, yet sympathetic, observations to complement their deliberately lo-fi aesthetic. The mixture of light-hearted playfulness and sharp wit creates a naive, magical charm, akin to the New York Anti-Folk movement.
The first animation, "Some Things are Big Some are Rather Small", began as a response to a brief to create a piece exploring the power of scale in design. Inspired by Children's educational Sing-Along- Songs, the animation evokes the childlike responses that, even as adults, we have to large and tiny things.
The looming prospect of their post-degree jolt into the real world was the perfect subject for their next video, ‘What Will We Do When We Leave Art School ?' . It explores the universal experience of leaving art school, which they recognised had a real potential for gallows humour and self-deprecating wit, providing a fun catharsis as they approached that big, scary moment in their lives.
The Long Way Round are continually developing their style, which brings together their strong visual, musical, and lyrical sensibilities in a way that allows them to comment on a range of different subjects while expressing their personalities. They are constantly expanding their range of visual tricks while preserving an atmosphere of innocence and spontaneity.
