Artist Statment:

This project is intended for lovers of poetry who might sometimes wish to see the things described in their favorite lyrics. I chose two poems with strong narrative structures despite their short lengths; one by Cesare Pavese called “The Cats Will Know”, and the second a haiku by Matsuo Basho, his world famous “Furu ike ya”. Despite liking both these poems, I felt they both contained strong imagery which could easily be appropriate and used for inspiration for my animation. Also, it seemed essential to unite the two pieces thematically, and so I chose two poems with similar atmospheres.

6 words to describe the work would be “calm, liquid, serene, melancholy, relaxation, and lyrical”.

The project is based on the concept of attaching short visual stories to poems in order to exagerate the narrative elements of the original literature. For instance, in the first stanza of “The Cats Will Know” the actual cat only shows up in the very last lines, however my visual interpretation of the poem emphasizes this particular element. In the Basho haiku I chose to focus on the movement of the frog, while in the poem the ‘sound of the water’ is undoubtedly the central element. 

I chose a minimal color scheme to highlight the few colors I did include (the pink and green of the lily pads). This emphasis on black and white also places attention on the movement of the animals and allows the composition to read clearly. My animation, particularly the “Furu ike ya” one, was focused on the techniques of stretch, timing, and exaggeration. The sounds I picked are essentially audio collages, combing original recordings, and foley work. I used audio filters and some wave form manipulation to develop the sound into something strange and original.

The stories I chose are best captured in the sounds I used in conjunction with my animated characters which I hope develop a personal, calming aesthetic.