idea for the thesis show installation

Since I have decided to not do a website for my thesis, I have to think about other ways to present my work. Here is an idea:

I am sticking with the concept of creating a lab. However, the lab has experienced a tremendous event so that it is now deserted. I will decorate a table to make it resemble a desk used in the lab that has been left unattended for a long time. It will be dusty and full of spider webs. On the desk, there will be a bunch of binders lying around. These binders will contain lab reports on the successful creations of part human and part animal creatures with detail informations and illustrations. There can also be photos of unsuccessful examples. There will also be a computer screen present. The computer will loop a clip of mock news reports on the creatures that gets interrupted by an unknown events and lost signal. There can also be spot of blood to show that something has happened here in the lab.

By doing an installation like this, I have created a story while incorporating my characters in a logical manner. It can also be very interesting to look at.

But there can also be problems. How can I convince people to approach my installation and not mistaken it as a random desk? How can I showcase my characters and make people pay attention to the characters?

Special thanks to Nancy Wei for helping me to come up with this idea~~^_^

some sketches for the tortoise guy

These are the sketches for a version of the tortoise guy from four views:

This guy looks really old and sad. I'm not sure if I like how it looks more turtle than human. I will make the next set of sketches look more human-like.

Here are some possible information about this guy:

Name: Turtleman
Height: 6’3”
Weigh: 323 lbs

Description:
-Head and limbs are covered with scale
-Half of a shell can be seen on the right side of the body
-No teeth

Facts:
-vegetarian
-in stage of hibernation when surrounding temperature drops below 34 degree Fahrenheit
-head can be pulled into the shell for protection
-maximum speed can be reached is 0.23 mph

Personality:
Reclusive, shy

creature #1: tortoise guy

I began doing some research for the characters that I will be creating.
I started off with the turtle or more specifically, the giant tortoise.

image from http://ladywildlife.com

Reason for creation: to raise human's life expectancy.
The giant tortoise is the longest living vertebrate on earth. The oldest one on record is the 255 year Adwaitya. Their average age is above 150 years old.

Secrets to long life:
-they can survive for very long periods of time without water or food.
-low energy requirments, it doesn't take much for them to live.
-low metabolism.
-they move extremely slow or can go for very long periods without moving.
-they are very large.
-they have an armored shell for protection against enemies.
-they have natural protection from predators because of theri living habitats(isolated tropical islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans).
-they need to live longer in order to reproduce since it's hard for them to reproduce on a regular basis in the unpredictable or harsh environments that they live in.

Although these are logical reasons for tortoise to have high life expectancy, we cannot make a definite conclusion that a tortoise can live up to 255 years old because it moves slow or because it has a shell. Thus, if we make a person slow or add a shell to him, it does not mean he will live over 150 years scientifically.
However, since no one really knows what would happen if a human cells and giant tortoise cells are combined together, I can still make belief that a part human and part giant tortoise creature can live longer than normal human beings.

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thoughts after the midterm

Most comments I have received from the midterm were concerning about the final delivery of my project. Specifically speaking, many were more interested in the lab itself instead of the creatures. Some were drawn to the social and environmental impacts that I had proposed. Some had suggested making the form of my lab somewhat resembles Area 51 or placing the lab within US territory instead of on a remote island. However, others had reminded me that the essence of my project is about character creation and questioned me about my true interest. Honestly speaking, I am far more interested in creating these creatures than constituting the social and environmental impacts. However, in order to make the existence of these creatures plausible, I need to have a solid background and context within which to place these creatures. The suggestions on the format of the lab were extremely useful.

I am also scratching the idea of the secret website. The web itself suggests freedom to gather and exchange information. This completely contradicts the secrecy of the lab. Thus, I think the web will only become a way for me to archive my actual thesis presentation.

Right now, I am still in the process of finding the best way to connect the creatures. I still believe the idea of the lab is a very interesting way to bring together all the creatures under one context, but i really do need to make it more concrete.

midterm

Here is the power point presentation for the midterm.
Here is the whole presentation in written form including detailed explainations of each slide.