La Cuadrada (cuadrados y ángulos)

1. La Cuadrada(cuadrados y ángulos) a DPA animated short inspired by the poetry of Alfonsina Storni

2. Background • About the author • Born May 29 1892 in the Italian sector of Switzerland • Returned to Argentina in 1894, age 2 • Financial troubles • Sexist Argentina • Breast cancer in 1935 • Suicide in 1938

3. The Poem • Cuadrados y ángulos Casas enfiladas, casas enfiladas, casas enfiladas. Cuadrados, cuadrados, cuadrados. Casas enfiladas. Las gentes ya tienen el alma cuadrada, ideas enfila y ángulo en la espalda. Yo misma he vertido ayer una lágrima, Dios mio, cuadrada. • Squares and Angles Houses in a line, in a line, In a line there, Squares, squares, squares, Even people now have square souls, Ideas in file, I declare, And on their shoulders, angles wear. Just yesterday I shed a tear and it Oh, God, was square!

4. Critical Response “…a forceful and poignant interpretation of modern city life, with its piercing loneliness, its chilling indifference, its soulless uniformity and maddening monotony, its spiritual vacuity, its unending vulgarity which rots and perplexes the soul. The same mathematical impersonality of the houses in rows, in angles, in squares, is reflected in their souls, in their ideas, in their very physical outlines, and even in her own tears.” -Sidonia Rosenbaum

5. Artist’s Statement Ultimately, the goal is to communicate the hopeless inevitability of conformity and indifference that Storni shows in her work, to show how this inevitability is still relevant in today's world, and to do this in a visually compelling way.

6. Research and Inspiration • Architecture

7. Research and Inspiration • Architecture

8. Research and Inspiration • Architecture

9. Research and Inspiration • Architecture

10. Research and Inspiration • Architecture

11. Research and Inspiration • Suburban Hell

12. Research and Inspiration • Suburban Hell

13. Research and Inspiration • “Little Boxes,” Malvina Reynolds, 1962 • Linkin Park Cover (Weeds theme) • Billy Bob Thorton Cover (Weeds theme)-that’sright BILLY BOB THORTON

14. Research and Inspiration • Cube World

15. Research and Inspiration • 21c Museum • Text Rain

16. Research and Inspiration • 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremonies • Link 1 • Link 2 • Pin Impression Toy

17. Concepts • Keepers • Cityscape • Grid work • Box Room • Cortex

18. Concepts • Maybes • TVs • “Two-face” • “Lego Man”

19. Early Concepts - Two-face +

20. Concepts • Maybes • “Lego Man” • gallery

21. Audio • Voice Over • Dr. Monica Massei • Professor at Clemson • Native to Argentina • Loves Storni • Music • Michael Hovan • MA student at Clemson • “born to do the project” • website

22. Summary • Alfonsina Storni, revolutionary poet of early 20th century Argentina • Short animation based off of her work, Cuadrados y angulos • Keywords: • monotonous • conformity • bitter • hopeless • overwhelmed • bleak • Visuals should show how her themes are relevant today • More abstract than literal? • Key moments: • Cityscape • Grid • Cortex • Box room • Others TBD (leaning very strongly towards “Lego Man,” strongly towards “Two-face”)

23. Storni on fellow writer Leopoldo Lugones, who also committed suicide in 1938… “I would ask: why should the dead be locked in a gilded cage? Their work lives on as their best testimony, far superior to any critical opinion. The greatest homage one can pay a writer is to refrain from burying his tragedy with bouquets of beautiful words. We should try, instead, to penetrate its meaning without being afraid to face the truth.”