VIOLET'S KITE
*Top 5 peer-voted storyreel Spring Exhibition 2023 and Excellence in Feedback awardee by Story Xperiential (Pixar in a Box)
I once heard that stories are written to put children to sleep and awaken adults...
Well, this story, which wanted to come out of some hidden place between my mind and my heart, has finally wanted to see the light, not only to awaken the dormant feelings of young and old, but also to inspire beautiful emotions and teach valuable messages, such as the power of hope, the importance of seeking one's own freedom or the need to learn to let go in life.
VioLET is a girl who, as her own name suggests, must learn to accept and LET go in order to grow, mature and transform, forcibly removed from a mother who is recovering (and transforming too) in a mental health center, and inspired by the example of her butterfly-shaped kite (once woven by her mother), who longs to fly freely and cross the multi-colored universe that awaits her beyond the rainbow.
Through this poetic journey into herself, A FLIGHT OF TRANSFORMATION FROM FEAR TO LOVE, she will need to face complex obstacles, such as waiting for an absent mother, to learn to be patient and give freedom to the dreams of her beloved butterfly to learn to let go of control. However, these complex separations, which this shy and nostalgic girl resists at first, will only bring her closer to the best version of herself: the mature, free and courageous VioLET, who flows and opens herself up with full confidence to the inevitable changes in life, to new friendships and to enjoying the present moment with a loving and joyful attitude.
As we shall see, our protagonist would love to be able to keep her mother and her kite by her side forever, but this would prevent her, and both of them, from growing and expanding. That is why the value and strength of hope plays a fundamental role in this work, as the saying goes: 'Hope is the last thing you lose'. And, personally, I would add: 'on the long road of learning and experience, much like life itself'.
Why use works of art as scenarios in this reel? Like everything in life, everything has a “why?” and a “what for?” ... Violet can't wait for her mother's arrival and, therefore, dreams of the 'Persistence of Memory' by Dalí, obsessed with the passage of time. Likewise, she sleeps in 'The Bedroom' by the painter, who was immersed in great sadness, as was Van Gogh in his time. Moreover, she nostalgically remembers works of great maternal instinct by the revolutionary Picasso of that time, who was committed to ‘Two Girls Reading', and the feminist, Klimt, and admirer of feminine beauty, who painted 'Three Ages of a Woman'. At the same time, Violet adores being in contact with living, colorful nature, such as that of the 'Parc Monceau', which she uses as a refuge, just as the impressionist painter Monet did. As we shall also see, our protagonist, whose mother struggles from a distance to escape depression, also enters the solitary inner world of Hopper and his 'House by the Railroad'. Finally, the life of this emotional young girl could not miss something as inspiring and changing as the sea and its painter par excellence, Sorolla, who endows this story with harmony, vigor and beauty with such vibrant works as ‘Young Girl in a Silvered sea'.
For me, poetry is a concoction of history, color and melody, with a pinch of magic and a mysterious passion for life. For me, poetry is to offer that vision of life with no other intention than to see meaning and beauty even where there is disharmony. It has been my greatest desire to have been able to season the recipe of this story so that it can be savored, leaving a pleasant sweet and, why not, bitter taste. So, VioLET’s Kite is a story which is as real as it is fantastic, and shows the metamorphosis of a daughter and her mother through time and space. It is my heart's desire to inspire confidence, hope and love.
