PARALLEL

This song reflects on the things that are lost to time. Loss of innocence, of heart, of faith, and of youth. I pose a question to another (or to myself) that things could remain as they are, or we could live independently in the same spaces. Our paths never crossing but still in sight of each other. A life together, alone – or lives lived in parallel – alone, together. 

The question comes partly from sentimentality, the parallel life gives the illusion of proximity but is unreachable in practice. It also comes from fear, holding onto the hope that the other could become a lifeboat if being alone becomes too unbearable. 

Ultimately, regardless of the answer, time’s arrow marches forwards. As we age and stare confused into an unfamiliar reflection – does it suddenly become clear what the right answer was? Is that the answer we gave? Does it even matter now as the sun sets?

Rebecca Payne is rural queer artist who has trained in painting, drawing, and printmaking. They are currently interested in exploring feelings of loneliness, feeling awkward, and have an appreciation for banal and liminal spaces. 

In this animation I wanted to play around with a sense of yearning for connection that feels really familiar right now. I didn’t want to give away the feeling of loneliness right away because I feel sometimes it grows most when you don’t realize it’s there. To conclude the animation, the lonely ghost does get a ghosty friend in the end! In the future, I’d love to explore how this story would continue moving forward.