Toronto animation studio, See You On The Moon, is behind a new short film for Canadian singer-songwriter, Serena Ryder, that shares her story on her own struggle with mental wellness.
Created and directed by the studio's founders Kyla Atlas and Jessica Arnold, The Art of Falling Apart is narrated by Ryder with her words moving us through an abstract world where colour and shape imagine her experiences. Emotional highs, lows and plateaus are portrayed in a conceptual style to make room for introspection within her story, as mental health affects people in different ways.
The film's release later this month marks Serena Ryder's upcoming album The Art of Falling Apart, which is a 10-track, 25-minute project chronicling Serena's mental wellness journey. The album was written and recorded over 10 days, and the tracklisting allows us, the listener, to follow her creative process in a truly linear sense. From beginning to end, we are with her. Each song was recorded the day it was written, featuring raw, unprocessed vocals.
Each track on the album is a story of the journey towards falling apart. Through 'Candy', Ryder starts to be more transparent and vulnerable. In the second song, 'Waterfall', she learns to cry. These stories build to 'Better Now' in which Ryder realises that one of the bravest things we can do is face our trauma, feelings and fears, and by doing so, we can truly learn to love ourselves.
The entire project is part of a greater movement for Ryder as a leader in mental health and wellness. A longtime advocate, she has worked with a variety of health and wellness initiatives, including Bell Let's Talk, WE Day, Unison Benevolent Fund, and in 2018, she won the Margaret Trudeau Mental Health Advocacy Award. She has presented her keynote speech (also named The Art of Falling Apart) to audiences across Canada – it's this speech that See You On The Moon has helped bring to life.
Recently, Ryder launched TheArt of Wellness – a free mindfulness programme for artists and creatives. Combined with the album rollout, these pieces help position her as a leader in both music and mental health.
Kyla Atlas and Jessica Arnold have been animating together for nearly a decade. Starting small with a clay character named Gene, they've taught themselves the ins and outs of how to build, shoot and edit stop motion. Under the name See You On The Moon, they’ve honed and developed their craft and gathered an extensive list of Canadian clients. Their portfolio includes ad campaigns, music videos, and social media shorts. Find out more at www.seeyouonthemoon.ca.
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