Carrie Matisse is the main character in a concept narrative created by poet and singer-songwriter Caroline Colantonio. With an undergrad degree in Opera and an MA in Creative Writing, Caroline aims to produce work that is both theatrical and intimate. She has fronted several indie bands, performing at venues around Toronto and earning regular radio airplay across Canada. Caroline’s writing has appeared in literary magazines like Bad Nudes, BAD DOG Mag, and The Ampersand Review. For the past two years, she’s been working intently as Carrie Matisse, imagining “the end of the world” and what that expression can mean in different contexts.
“On December 6, 2021, I discovered the poem ‘Sorrow Figure’ by Kate Daniels at the Toronto Reference Library. I was reading her brilliant book The Niobe Poems (1988) as part of my research for PhD applications. I’d been planning to leave Toronto mid-pandemic after a breakup. However, in Daniels’ line of poetry — ‘And I heard, too, all the other toys chattering and enjoying being played with as if nothing like this could ever happen to them’ — I found my courage to stay. Her words inspired the first song and video in a concept project I’ve been working on for the past two years.
“In the bridge of my song, ‘Baby Robotic,’ I imagine the figure from Daniels’ poem with these lyrics: ‘If I empty out my shape tonight, I will melt into a blue plastic sorrow figure….’ I’ve mirrored the isolation of the sorrow figure and the existential weight of the poem throughout this section. The lyrics explore a breakdown of language and communication. Musically, there is a sudden sharp departure and punk feel, which starkly contrasts the dreamy atmosphere of the song’s opening.
“The ‘Baby Robotic’ music video starts with a slow, spinning drone shot of Carrie Matisse styled as a doll abandoned on the floor, which is how I visualized the poem’s central figure at rest. Carrie cycles through a range of introspective and dissociative states while she unravels. During the song’s bridge, she is physically overcome by madness, matching the musical shift with a choreographed dance.
“‘Baby Robotic’ introduces Carrie at emotional rock bottom. The song and video begin and end with her sitting in her backyard unable to comprehend how people can treat each other with such indifference. Like the figure described in Daniels’ poem, Carrie’s grief goes unnoticed by the world around her.”
