CHIMERAConcept Development for Project 1

GREEK MYTHOLOGY

Female fire-breathing monster.

Combined aspects of a lion, snake and goat.

The Chimera on a red-figure Apulian plate, c. 350–340 BC

GREEK MYTHOLOGY

The earliest literary reference to the Chimera is from Homer’s Iliad (9th c. BC):

“She was of divine race, not of men, in the fore part a lion, in the hinder a serpent, and in the middle a goat, breathing forth in terrible manner the force of blazing fire.”

EARLIER MYTHOLOGY (ETRUSCAN)

"Chimera of Arezzo": an Etruscan bronze, c. 400BC

400 years before Iliad!

EARLIER MYTHOLOGY (ETRUSCAN)

Did the Etruscans think this creature actually existed?

What purpose did the Chimera serve?

EARLIER MYTHOLOGY (ETRUSCAN)

What would their experience have been of the animals that made up the Chimera: lion, goat and the snake?

What symbolic meanings could each animal have?

MEDIEVAL CHIMERAS

Woodcut from the Malleus Malificarum (Hammer of the Witches), 1486.

• Why are demons/monsters represented as being made of parts from different creatures?

• Why are women associated with witchcraft?

MEDIEVAL CHIMERAS

Chimera is specifically associated with feminine evil.

Valerius (1st Century AD), writes, "You do not know that woman is the Chimaera, but it is good that you should know it; for that monster was of three forms; its face was that of a radiant and noble lion, it had the filthy belly of a goat, and it was armed with the virulent tail of a viper".

MEDIEVAL CHIMERAS

• Fear of the “unnatural”

• Accidents of birth

• Associated with female evil, “original sin”

• Women deviate from the “natural” male form (Western tradition, dating back to Aristotle)

CHIMERAS IN VIDEO GAMES

Mythological characters are common in video games.

How do video games relate to mythology?

CYBORG AND CHIMERA

Combination human/machine, or animal/machine

How does this relate to the Chimera?

Post-human: fear of the future?

CHIMERAS IN BIOLOGY

Chimerism can occur naturally when the offspring receives genes from both parents instead of one or the other.

Can result in male and female sexual organs, two different blood types, or other physical symptoms.

CHIMERAS IN BIOLOGY

Cloning that involves animals from different species.

As early as 1984, a “geep” was produced by combining the embryos of a goat and a sheep.

Since that time, many cross-species genetic experiments have been performed.

CHIMERAS IN BIOLOGY

Genetically modified foods, where genes are transferred between non-related species, raise serious concerns related to human health and risks to the environment.

DEVELOPING YOUR CONCEPT

No, that’s not a real critter.

Which brings us to this project: create your own Chimera by combining multiple photos in Photoshop!

PROJECT 1 REQUIREMENTS

Combine at least 3 photographs to create a new creature (or object, or other)

Looks naturalistic: lighting, color, image quality, seamless joining of photos

Interesting composition: elements are placed so the eye travels around image

Interesting concept: animal symbolism, monsters as embodiment of evil, human vs. animal, ethics of genetic manipulation, more

CREATIVE

MAX ERNST, 1891-1976

REMEDIOS VARO, 1906-1963

ANTOINE HELBERT

Professional illustrator

ALICE WELLINGER

Professional illustrator

ANIMAL/PLANT CHIMERAS

What makes them look naturalistic?

ANIMAL/ANIMAL CHIMERAS

What makes them believable?

Not believable?

ANIMAL/ANIMAL CHIMERA

What makes this photo montage interesting?

HUMAN/ANIMAL CHIMERAS

What concepts can be found in these images?

OBJECT/ANIMAL CHIMERAS

Is one of these images more believable than the other? Why?

What is the concept?

BAD CHIMERAS! BAD!

What makes these chimeras so very BAD?

DEVELOPING YOUR CONCEPT

Do

Select photos shot from similar angles, with similar lighting

Select high-resolution images, and shrink them if needed

Use your own photos where possible

Make something that is thought-provoking and unique

Don’t

Select photos shot from different angles, or with different lighting

Select tiny or low-resolution photos, then enlarge them

Use copyrighted images

Make something just because it’s awesome/weird/hilarious/cute

WANT TO SEE MORE?Google “photoshop hybrid animals.”