Artist’s Statement: This video and my interpretation of the character, Alpha Betsy was inspired by Marc Zegans’ poem and character of the same name from his latest book: La Commedia Sotterranea della Macchina da Scrivere, as part of The Typewriter Underground published by Pelekinesis Press.
I had been looking for an idea on which to base another stop-motion animation video and when Marc shared his manuscript with me the inspiration was clear. His book contained so many colorful, exciting characters but something about the character Alpha Betsy resonated with me immediately and I saw her come to life as I read each word from the page.
The featured song, “Over Here” is a song I wrote and recorded, but never released. There is a playful quality to the song that I felt fit the character, yet unexpectedly, it also lent a vulnerability and tenderness to her that I had not previously envisioned — and did so in a wonderfully surprising way. For me, that sort of discovery is like the pearl in the oyster, when creation surprises in a delightfully unexpected way and that which is created breathes a life all of its own.
