Spilt Milk: a thesis presentation by Nadia DeLane
Spilt Milk
BY Nadia DeLane
Please join us for a special gallery presentation by Nadia DeLane, the creator of Spilt Milk . The event takes place at 7pm on July 21st at the SVA GRAMERCY GALLERY, 209 E 23 Street, NYC.
Spilt Milk: Inspired by diasporic consciousness, Nadia DeLane’s visual storytelling embodies diversity and variation. Over the past fifteen years, DeLane has independently produced written and visual content for commission, web and print media. DeLane’s Spilt Milk is a stop motion animated film delving into concepts ranging from childhood abandonment to the liquid nature of futures not yet beheld. Fabricating the family unit, DeLane’s handmade dolls, complimentary textures and puppetry visually communicate the emotional side effects of grief, care and longing. Though anchored by change, the clock spins, shifting focus from what is lost with time, to what is gained through growth and experience. The viewer may ask: what is the function of a dream? A nightmare? Spilt Milk is an abstract stop-motion animation taking audiences through the eyes of Carmen, a milk-loving child with an invisible friend named The Clear One (TCO). TCO, an entity left behind by his own family, fosters a bond with Carmen founded on play and mutual “seeing”. However, their friendship is soon interrupted by Carmen’s impending adolescence and inability to see or recognize her friend. Carmen’s inability to see TCO results in nightmarish visions and physical pain. While experiencing grief over the changing dynamic, TCO anonymously heals Carmen’s illness. A visual metaphor for the bone-fortifying power of milk, Spilt Milk’s skewed imagery asks the viewer to look inside out for answers to life’s lingering questions.
See more of Nadia’s work at:
