The Butterfly

Inspired by the old Chinese legend of The Butterfly Lovers which tells the story of two people who were forbidden to marry, so they threw themselves into a grave and emerged as two butterflies to be together forever. I was interested that this romantic idea of love has so many similarities to the Western idea of love, of all-consuming passionate, true love. The butterflies I cut from an Asian newspaper and an American romance novel and is in reference to the Chinese paper cutting craft technique which often is of butterfly shapes. The symbolism of butterflies that I refer to in my paintings (metamorphosis, hidden strength, mortality) carry through to the paper shapes in this short film. Original music by Jacob Preston (age 9).