For this animation I was tasked with creating a window into the Puerto Rican immigrant experience by illustrating the journey of a wayward mangrove seed. Working with the poet, I worked to establish the natural elements’ innate beauty and power and how these can define belonging or alienation, comfort or despair, and the ever expanding worlds of possibility.
"Soy Tierra Desgajándome" [I Am Soil Breaking Off] has been selected for 3 different festivals and counting. I can’t wait to share the full animation after the festival circuit concludes.
Special thanks to my team: poet Paloma Sierra, co-translator Abigail Salmon, composer Dusty Sanders, and audio engineer Sebastian Gutierrez. This animation was made possible by City of Asylum, RADical ImPAct Grant, and Carnegie Mellon's Frank-Ratchye Fund For Art and the Frontier’s grant support.
Stay tuned for the full video poem release!
Storyboards:
Initial passes focused on an emotive child immigrant but we pivoted and fully invested in the poem's metaphor, solely relying on the seed and the environment as our actors.
The land, sea, and sky all had to serve both a beneficial and antagonistic role. It was particularly interesting to imbue a rigid object with evocative movement and emotion.
The land, sea, and sky all had to serve both a beneficial and antagonistic role. It was particularly interesting to imbue a rigid object with evocative movement and emotion.
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