Tumblebreed
-preliminary concepts & designs
-final concept & design
-background story
-material list
-structure and puppeteering roles
-movement and performance
-tentacles
-eye
-skin
-inspiration: the blue-ringed octopus
Preliminary Concepts & Designs:
Tumblebreed “A” by Kevin Hermann
“My creature is based on the both our human needs for contact, and to
create our own narrative/mythology. Essentially I’d like to create a suit that
someone could easily fit into and bounce about it. The creature is
designed to tumble from surface to surface, and to make contact there.
These ‘points of contact’ are akin to experiences, and the idea is that
when enough it hits a surface with enough pressure, then some sort of
paint/colored liquid would push out through the ‘footprints’ (see
sketches), which would leave a narrative of contact points following the
creatures path. The recording of these places of contact would create an
infinite variety of combinations of patterns and movements that would
provide a program for the puppeteer to engage with. The logic here is to
create different combinations of falls and leaps and springs in order to
‘write’ your own narrative + have WAY too much fun. The material would
have to be pretty light but strong foam, maybe with some other backing
material at the points of greatest pressure. See my clay models in for a
better visual feel.”
Points of contact create
“footprints”
The Tumble Suit
“The mouth is where the
human stomach is, and by
crunching down, the
puppeteer can ‘eat’ food.
Little eyes could be added
all over, but I wasn’t
planning any large eye
appendage. Additionally,
there are sketches for
internally controlled
mechanisms for creating a
rippling effect on the skin
(which would be made of
mostly foam – providing
enough resistance and
pliability) in order for the
creature to maintain a
dynamic presence when it
isn’t bumbling about.”
Preliminary Concepts & Designs:
Tumblebreed “B” by Jessica Burnam
Interior Men:
-all facing forward, walk forward
-each strapped into a tentacle and holds the dome of the creature on their backs
-more tentacles/people can be added for extra stability
-with their arms free, they can hold on to the tentacle, Puppeteering them and/or
move the features (head, eyes, ect.) by some sort of pulley system)
-maybe possible: when they walk, the motion triggers motion into the tentacles
Exterior Men:
-help to guide the creature
-puppeteer the tentacles on rods
Head/Dome features:
-a second head (or mouth or eye) comes out of the body
-the second head is hidden by a flap of skin when inside the body
-perhaps the eyes bulge…they can be made of light flexible material (aka. Plastic
bag) and from air coming form an interior fan, they look as though they are
pulsating
Exterior of creature, with eye
Interior of creature, with
puppeteers
Tentacles:
-What if tentacles are made
from wheel parts….see one of
the tentacle groups with their
experimentation with bike
wheels
Storyline:
-could be a junk monster
(going off of the wheel idea)
-it lives in junk yards and eats
garbage; therefore, it has
become this mechanical thing
-whenever it gets broken, it
scours the garbage for the
right part replacement and
fixes itself.
Final Concept: Background Story
Nessy abstract: a humble, tortured, lover; or, Romeo, drugs, and Jabba the Hut
In the dark depths of the pond next to the Dell basketball courts, two creatures,
unbeknownst to the UVa community, meet and make manic romance amidst the murk. One
looks vaguely like a cross between a pug (the kind that looks like they’ve had their face smashed
in a car door) and a hippo made of jell-o, the other reminiscent of a neurotic baby Cyclops (who
also happens to tip the scales at a near 400 pounds). No less monstrous is the water in which
they cozy up to one another – with the inclusion of a few rogue test tubes of hydro-chlora-gonasyphus-oxi-crappus from a wildly experimental (and wildly botched) chemistry experiment,
various different types of fluids from the local fraternity ‘gathering’ (bodily included), and, of
course, the creatures own excretions (which are up to your own imagination), the ‘water’ (if you
can call it that) has now become an ideal breeding ground for the god-knows-whats of
grungedom. The chemical reaction between the creatures various excretions, the demonic lab
liquids, and a certain frat-star’s Natty light suddenly produces a explosion, a psychedelic
firestorm of cosmic proportions that completely denatures the two creatures, then rejoins them
and now behold: Nessy is born…
“Nessy is born."
…His appearances blends both characteristics of the creatures he comes from as well as reflects
the process with which he came to be; with an ethereal, mind-altering aesthetic (he resembles the
rather trippy appearance of the Hapalochlaena lunulata in some ways), Nessy serves as a reminder of
the transformative potential of experiences (and what can happen when you’re not careful with your
shitty beer). Given his rather tumultuous birth, Nessy seeks out the affection of others by cordially
‘inviting’ them (aka grabbing them with his tentacles and tossing them into his mouth) for a grand tour
of his insides. Given that he solely seeks this rather odd form of affection, his habitat is apt to change
considerably in his never-ending search for acceptance. Whether it be in the Alderman stacks, late night
at Little John’s, or posted up by the lunch trucks at the amphitheater, Nessy will be finding love in a
hopeless place.
Hapalochlaena lunulata
Nessy: the final creature
Full Inventory of Materials
For Base Structure:
-PVC pipe
For Tentacles:
-wood
-string/rope
-PVC pipe
-base attaches to harness/backpack
-kid tunnel
For Skin:
-spandex, light fabric, garbage bags, thin/flexible foam
-latex paint, spray-paint
-wood for making frames
-EL Wire and batteries
Final Design: Structure and Puppeteering
Roles
Each Puppeteer is in a leg of the
creature wearing a harness to support
the rest of the creature to make it move.
They can be wearing pretty much
anything since they will be enclosed, but
probably black bottoms and shoes
would be best. 2 of the puppeteers are
in the “front” of the creature and
manipulate the tentacles that protrude
from the front that try to “grab” people
and suck them into the underbelly of the
beast. The 2 puppeteers in the “rear” of
the creature manipulate the moving eye
on top of the creature and the
“breathing” skin aspect.
Materials:
-PBC Pipe backpacks/appendages
-possibly girdles that would
further enable movement
Nessy Armature
Detail of Skin
Final Design: Movement, Performance
Movement:
The Tumblebreed has taken on a rather sluggish (in the animal sense)
and octopus-like it will have tentacle legs and what we envision to be a large
eye apparatus mounted at its center.
It will move a bit slowly, being internally puppeteer by either four or five
people, moving it’s tentacles and reaching out in the front, while the back
tentacles gather up and meet the ground in order to propel the creature
forward.
We are thinking of having also having a rippling function across its skin
(internally puppeteer as well), so that it can maintain a dynamic presence
even when standing still (a fully rotating eye will also aid in keeping it moving
when it’s standing still). It’s going to leave some sort of trail via oozing
substance behind it.
Performance:
Our creature does not move quickly, it is almost 25’ across. Best spot to
start it out would be close to the end of the parade or waiting for people on
the lawn. This creature is built for audience interaction and allows for people
to be pulled in by the tentacles and explore the inside of the creature. They
can enter through the “front” of the creature and exit out the “rear”
Here’s the link to a small stop-motion film that we made to give an idea
of the movement that the creature will make, as well as it’s pulsating effect:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ1r0tRFX4s&feature=youtu.b
Final Design: Tentacles
Goals: light, and easily maneuverable
Techniques:
-puppeteers all face forward
-each mans one tentacle
-the front men manipulate tentacles
in front of them
-the back men are not as active in
controlling their tentacles for the back legs
are more slinky-like, trail behind them
-all four tentacles are attached to the
men by means of harnesses/backpacks
that are in turn attached to the main
structure of the domed creature
Materials:
-wood
-string/rope
-PVC pipe
-base attaches to harness/backpack
-kid tunnel
Harness/Backpack contraption
Length of front tentacle: approx.: 8 ft.
Additional Goals:
-shuffle along, tentacle comes up at the tip, slithering movement
-to have the creature lift itself up on its front tentacles and look
around…lay egg or to ‘sit’ on it’s prey and eat it.
-to have tentacles suck in/scrunch then expand/elongate…..like a stretchy
straw
-to have suctions on the bottom of the tentacles that would be textured
(skins)
-to have scooping motion, to take things into it’s ‘mouth’ beneath it via
octopus-like motion.
Here is the link to Collab where a video is posted of the tentacle prototypes
movement:
https://collab.itc.virginia.edu/portal/site/93bba847-aa80-477c-8c554257a14e4e93/page/9bc2b4a4-542f-48e6-a882-4385248969b6
Here is a clay-motion of our creatures movements and devouring
techniques: http://youtu.be/Zkw9AJnpvyQ
Final Design: Eye
-A back leg person will be able to puppeteer the eye which we envision to
have 360 degree range of motion for the pupil, as well as a full four cable
tentacle for its necks range of motion.
-We’re still toying with the idea of having the eye being retractable back
into the structure.
Final Design: Skin
Goals:
-light, flexible and easily transportable
- to create the illusion that the creature is breathing and the skin itself is
pulsating
-vibrant color scheme
Several different techniques:
-spandex stretched upon frame
-garbage bags
-crinkled fabrics
-EL Wire
Materials:
-spandex, light fabric, garbage bags, thin/flexible foam
-latex paint, spray-paint
-wood for making frames, stencils
-EL Wire and batteries
Spandex: The Process:
1) Tightly stretch spandex over a wooden frame, making sure to staple/secure
in place
2) Lay down stencil, use latex paint = this is what adds texture to the fabric
3) Allow paint to dry (note: after stencil is dry, the remaining areas may be
painted as well)
-the result: when the fabric is
taken off of the frame, it pulls
back into place and the texture
bunches up, producing a scale like
surface
-spandex is very elastic, so as
the creature moves, the fabric will
be able to expand/contract
-spandex is also very light,
enabling easy transportation
-spandex may be paired with
very thin/flexible foam (in
interior) that forms the very base
shape/shell of the creature
Spandex: The Process
To Note:
-just applying latex paint in a solid coat upon the framed spandex did
not produce texture
-initially, when textured spray was applied in clumps to the spandex,
the spandex had a pebbly, textured feel; however, when painted/spraypainted, the contrast in texture was not effectively portrayed
Fabric: The Process
-Besides Spandex, lightweight fabric may be utilized. Perhaps not with
the framing technique, but bunching up fabric, applying spray paint, rebunching, and re-applying spray paint is effective as well, creating a veiny
design.
Garbage Bags: The Process
Garbage Bags are another
light material which can be
easily textured.
In the picture (at left), 74
spray was applied and the bag
was crinkled up on into itself to
invoke a veiny texture.
Texture also may be
applied by way of a heat gun
which gives it a bubbly effect.
Garbage Bags can also be
attached/sealed together by
means of a soldering iron.
The belly of the creature
may easily be formed with this
technique.
Garbage bags then can be
painted in a variety of methods
(see next slide)
.
The Color Scheme
We are going for a very vibrant color scheme which is based off of the
Hapalochlaena Lunata, know simply as the Blue-Ringed Octopus.
This would be done to employ bright yellows and the bold hue of
Ultramarine Blue.
EL Wire:
We really want to make the Blue electric and the way we plan to do
that is with EL Wire. EL Wire comes in all colors and the blue rings of the
octopus can easily made with the blue. Installing neon lights within the
structure will really make the creature feel like it is glowing under its nearly
see-though skin of the spandex/plastic bags. EL Wire is transportable, it
needs only the right battery that can be secured to the structure or to the
puppeteers. This would be especially dynamic at night.
More EL Images:
About the Blue-Ringed Octopus:
The blue-ringed octopus is a pale brown to yellow color depending on its
surroundings. But when alarmed, the octopus displays bright blue rings all over
its body and H. lunulata carries enough venom to kill 26 adult humans within
minutes. Habitat: the temperate waters of southern Australia, from southern
Western Australia to eastern Victoria. Food: small crabs and shrimp. One of their
poisons is used for hunting crab while the other is extremely toxic and used as
self defense against predators. The poisons are secreted into the blue-ringed
octopus's saliva. Once the prey is dead, the octopus begins consuming it with its
powerful beak-like mouth.
Facts from the last slide come from this link. Go to it for more information
and a documentary on the Blue-Ringed Octopus:
http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=403#.UMax06n3D-Y