1. Concept Development for Project 1
chimera
Concept Development for Project 1

2. 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

3. 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.”

4. Earlier mythology (Etruscan)
"Chimera of Arezzo": an Etruscan bronze, c. 400BC
400 years before Iliad!

5. Earlier mythology (Etruscan)
Did the Etruscans think this creature actually existed?
What purpose did the Chimera serve?
Each animal that made up the Chimera had its natural form that everyone was familiar with, with its own characteristics: lions were dangerous predators, goats were unpredictable and highly sexual, snakes were myterious and deadly. But each animal also had its own layers of deeper symbolic, mythological meaning attached to it, relating to things that had nothing to do with the animals at all: seasonal changes, volcanic eruptions, historical events, even astronomy.

6. 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?
Each animal that made up the Chimera had its natural form that everyone was familiar with, with its own characteristics: lions were dangerous predators, goats were unpredictable and highly sexual, snakes were myterious and deadly. But each animal also had its own layers of deeper symbolic, mythological meaning attached to it, relating to things that had nothing to do with the animals at all: seasonal changes, volcanic eruptions, historical events, even astronomy.

7. 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?

8. 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".

9. 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)

10. Chimeras in video games
Mythological characters are common in video games.
How do video games relate to mythology?

11. Cyborg and chimera Combination human/machine, or animal/machine
How does this relate to the Chimera?
Post-human: fear of the future?

12. 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.
Beyond its mythological meaning, the term chimera is used today to describe any mythical or fictional creature with parts taken from various animals. The term is also used in genetics to describe certain offspring.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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!

16. 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

17. Max Ernst,

18. Remedios varo,

19. Antoine Helbert
Professional illustrator

20. Alice Wellinger
Professional illustrator

21. Animal/Plant Chimeras
What makes them look naturalistic?

22. Animal/Animal Chimeras
What makes them believable?
Not believable?

23. Animal/Animal Chimera
What makes this photo montage interesting?

24. Human/Animal Chimeras
What concepts can be found in these images?

25. Object/Animal Chimeras
Is one of these images more believable than the other? Why?
What is the concept?

26. Bad chimeras! Bad!
What makes these chimeras so very BAD?

27. Developing your conceptDo
Don’t
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
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

28. Google “photoshop hybrid animals.”
Want to see more?
Google “photoshop hybrid animals.”