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Room Walkthrough

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Initial Idea and Concepts

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Build Part 1

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Distressing Bottles

To make the bottles seem older than they are I researched techniques I could try. The technique I found that would work the best was sanding the bottles to create this opaque, scratching, textured effect that would occur with age. The video below is where I found this idea. 

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Box Completion

After, some hurdles I finished my box. In the image below you can see the top part of my box, I worked really hard on showing my inspiration from picnic baskets by having the cutlery and plate on top. With the plates I used one of my old bags handles to create straps to hold it in place, these were fiddly but they worked well, although the plates were taut in the straps they rotated a lot. So, to bypass this I made wooden wedges to sit behind it to hold it place and make it central. With the cutlery I reused the satin pouch from the bottom of the box that I had already cut out. Then, to hold my mini bottle of wine I used another belt to create straps. This worked quite effectively but trying to rivet it was difficult. 

With the bottom of box I wanted to make the scissors quite a focal part of my design but I want it to ‘reveal’ itself to the viewer. So, with the boxes on the sides they would fold inwards hiding the scissors but when lifted they would be on display. These scissors were so ornate I thought it would be a shame to ‘hide’ them away within in the box. With the sectioning I wanted to create emphasis to my things and make a nod to the travelling apothecaries I researched. Also, I think it was important to reveal my killers’ personalities, to me this conveys the idea of them being organised. Moreover, I wanted to put one lock of hair in the blue box to highlight its importance as it was the ‘first kill’ to further emphasise this I put blood on it to seem like it was inexperienced. 

This box was used to contain teeth from the ‘victims’. However, to make them seem more important I put them within a glass jar, this conveys to the viewer that they are delicate. The teeth were simple to make, I used Super Sculpey to make them and referenced images of real teeth. Next, I cooked them to harden them so when they are dropped in the jar they sound like teeth. After that, I painted them with white acrylic and add yellowing to make the more realistic. To finish off I gave them a coat of clear nail polish to make them have the shine real teeth would.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

When creating my finger I used a wooden dowel as my base, I forgot to then coat it with tin foil so it became trickier. This is because when I began to spread on my Super Sculpey it had no layers like a finger would - it was just skin. However, I made it work and really analysed the lines and contour of my skin to create the most realistic illusion. After that, I cooked the finger to make it harden once I was happy with the shape. Next, I coated the finger in liquid latex bar the fingernail or the dowel, this was because the nail should be hard to feel like a real fingernail. The reason I didn’t coat the dowel was so it would be hard like a bone, however the latex on the ‘skin’ would make it softer and again make it more realistic. I then used a small rasp to carve most off most of the excess and also to shape it roughly. Then, I clamped it and used sandpaper in a ‘shoe polishing’ motion, once that was done I used a craft knife to create divots to give it more of a bone like texture. To finish up I used foundation and a creme blush to create the skin tones and much like the teeth I used white acrylic to paint the bone.

Below is a picture of my complete box, overall I am pleased with my outcome, I think it’s really cohesive considering a lot of the materials were recycled. Furthermore, I feel it really conveys all the inspirations I drew from and subtly lets the viewer know that something isn’t quite right. I really want them to make their own assumptions.

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Internet Influence

As I have been delving further into fetishes I realise that we are being exposed to much more than ever before. Why is this? Is it due to the fact we have the ability to access it more with the internet? Could it be that while the internet provides all the weird and wonderful it may be nurturing it too?

So many trends come ago but it appears to be so much more frequent nowadays, which I think is due to the fact people are striving to be unique and different. We are constantly fed new things and people seem to cling to these things. Without trying to offend anyone, do people really believe they are ‘Trans Species’ or are they just clinging to something to make them more of an individual. 

- Nano, a 20-year-old from Oslo, Norway claims to be “trans-species” and is actually a cat.

Have we just progressed as a society to be more open to these things or have we created these things with the internet? I could be wrong and these sorts of things could have always been there but with society we couldn’t be open and honest.

Furthermore, pornography has changed drastically from when it first emerged. Now there are many subcultures and categories. Also, porn has become more violent and degrading especially towards the female talent. A stereotypical porn from the seventies to now would be two worlds apart, there is a need for it to be more hard hitting nowadays. Is this due to the fact people are becoming bored with conventional porn? So it has to be more shocking and outrageous. Moreover, will this perpetuate a cycle for the next generation who will need even more hardcore porn? 

For me this shows that the internet does nurture some fetishes, originally BDSM stood out and was quite rejected by society. It made people ostracised. Now, it has been more accepted with films like Fifty Shades of Grey and even in the music industry. Therefore, this is being reflected in ‘conventional’ porn, showing the next generation - whom are discovering porn and their sexuality -  that this is ‘normal’ and what they should expect. Personally, this concerns me as while I think adults should be express themselves without judgement that it could spread to children. Children now are much more mature than they were a decade ago which I know has huge link to society and media they are exposed to.

- Female talent being degraded

Back to my earlier question, I feel I need to be fair and really explore both sides. The human brain is quite perverse therefore  I could comprehend that we just have more access to things now. Meaning that these fetishes always existed but you couldn’t reach them easily, but with the internet its a few clicks away. 

With Sigmund Freud’s theory on the psyche it does make me find it even more believable. Is it that these are our true natures? Are these fetishes our id? That due to our ego and super ego these haven’t been prevalent in society because it wasn’t socially acceptable and nowadays with things like the deep web we can carry out these desires without being noticed and in turn nourish them. 

- The Deep Web Suicide Site 

The deep web has some horrifying things, you can pay for people to be killed and watch it occur. With Armin Mewies he chatted to a man whom consented to being eaten alive. Without the internet the likelihood of him meeting someone with a similar fetish was very slim let alone them consenting to it. So, does the internet only provide the connection or does it nurture the fantasy?

Overall, I find this topic far too vast to make it black and white. With society we do hide ourselves, even with the closest people around us we don’t share our deepest thoughts. Only we know our true desires and fantasies and therefore regardless whether the internet ‘only provides the connection’ or ‘perpetuates the fetish’ we share there anonymously to find comfort in our darkest thoughts.

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Jeffrey Dahmer

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Box Progression

With the picture below we create a miniature board that would hold to syringes, I decided to place it here due to the fact I need to cover a part of the box. When removing the lining it did tear a bit so this was to tidy up a bit. I used copper to create clasps and add finishing touches. Then, I clamped it down to hold it in place and really lock it there.

I went out and purchased some Gorilla Glue, it was recommended to me, as hot glue was not strong enough to hold everything in place. For the boxes I really liked the idea of this box being methodically and well thought out as I wanted it to represent my killers. Therefore, with the two boxes we used door hinges so they could fold in and out. Next, I applied Gorilla Glue as the boxes where too thin to be able to have screws as they would poke through and therefore ruin the illusion.

Just above you can see dividers that I created. The bottles had to be moved as they would collide with the boxes. With this change it did make them become a focal point which I loved. Lower down I have sections of hair from the ‘victims’ which I got from the hairdresser. I felt key details like this were essential. 

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Box Lining

With the box lining I needed to create a false top and bottom so I could strap in objects without having to pierce the box. I thought that wouldn’t be aesthetically pleasing, so with some wooden board we measured the box outline and repeated this. 

With this base I headed up to fashion and looked for some fabric that would fit with the box’s look. I found some red satin material and lined the board. I pulled it taut and used some hot glue to really hold it in place. I chose the red lining as I already liked the way the colour had worked with the previous lining. However, I also wanted it to be symbolic, as with the colour red we associate violence and death.

Next, I cut out some of the loose fabric of the previous lining so that the boards would sink in nicely to the box. I used a Stanley knife for this to be more precise, luckily most of the fabric had quite prominent stitching which made it easier to remove. 

Now, I had both bits of board fitting in I could begin to really see the layout of my objects. It took quite a few attempts to find the right layout as I wanted it to be able to shut and actually portable, therefore I couldn’t have any objects colliding with one another so I took my time to think it through.

This was the layout I desired, I wanted to create some sectioning at the bottom to show my influence from travelling apothecaries and I wanted the plate to be strapped in at the top like most picnic baskets.

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Inventory

These were just a few shots of all the things I gathered for my box, I just wanted to get an initial inventory of all my objects to see where I was going to begin. After, I began to do some sketches and Pinterest boards to gather an idea of the layout I wanted. It took several attempts before I really knew where I wanted everything but I wanted everything to have a purpose.

The syringes I was thinking would be used to ‘sedate’ the victims, to reduce the possibility of escaping and transport them easier. The box could contain hair of the ‘first kill’, much like in The Lovely Bones my killers could keep keepsakes from their victims. Plus, I was thinking the belt could be used to create straps that would hold items in.

The small boxes I think I would use to contain further keepsakes from victims such as teeth or nails. The small jars are a nod to Frankenstein, I like the idea of making the viewer tense and curious as to what they may contain. The cutlery and plates are quite intricate and dainty, I chose this specifically as I loved that aspect of Hannibal that included fine dining and wanted to include it in my work.

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Myra Hindley

Growing Up

Myra Hindley was born in Crumpsall on 23 July 1942and raised in Gorton, then a working-class area of Manchester. Her parents, Nellie and Bob Hindley beat her regularly as a young child. Hindley's father had served with the Parachute Regiment and had been stationed in North Africa, Cyprus and Italy during the Second World War.

He had been known in the army as a "hard man" and he expected his daughter to be equally tough; he taught her how to fight, and insisted that she "stick up for herself". When Hindley was 8, a local boy approached her in the street and scratched both of her cheeks with his fingernails, drawing blood. She burst into tears and ran into her parents' house, to be met by her father, who commanded that she "Go and punch him, because if you don't I'll leather you!" Hindley found the boy and succeeded in knocking him down with a sequence of punches. 

���The relationship with her father brutalised her ... She was not only used to violence in the home but rewarded for it outside. When this happens at a young age it can distort a person's reaction to such situations for life.” - Malcolm MacCulloch, professor of forensic psychiatry at Cardiff University

Her father's insisted that she be baptised a Catholic. Soon, Hindley was increasingly drawn into the Catholic Church after she started at Ryder Brow Secondary Modern, and began taking instruction for formal reception into the Church soon after Higgins's funeral. She took the confirmation name of Veronica, and received her first communion in November 1958. It was also at about this time that Hindley first began bleaching her hair. Shortly after her 17th birthday she changed her hair colour with a pink rinse. She took judo lessons once a week at a local school, but found partners reluctant to train with her, as she was often slow to release her grip.

As a couple

In January 1961, the 18-year-old Myra Hindley joined Millwards as a typist. Where Ian Brady worked too.She soon became infatuated with Brady, despite learning that he had a criminal record.She began a diary and, although she had dates with other men, some of the entries detail her fascination with Brady, whom she eventually spoke to for the first time on 27 July 1961.

Over the next few months she continued to make entries, and grew increasingly disillusioned with him, until 22 December when Brady asked her on a date to the cinema. She expressed concern at some aspects of Brady's character; in a letter to a childhood friend, she mentioned an incident where she had been drugged by Brady, but also wrote of her obsession with him. A few months later, she asked her friend to destroy the letter.

“Within months he [Brady] had convinced me that there was no God at all: he could have told me that the earth was flat, the moon was made of green cheese and the sun rose in the west, I would have believed him, such was his power of persuasion.” – Myra Hindley

Next, Hindley began to change her appearance, wearing clothing considered risqué such as high boots, short skirts and leather jackets, and the two became less sociable to their colleagues. Although Hindley was not a qualified driver (she passed her test on the third attempt, late in 1963), she often hired a van, in which the two planned bank robberies. Brady and Hindley's plans for robbery came to nothing, but they became interested in photography. Brady already owned a Box Brownie, which he used to take photographs of Hindley and her dog, Puppet, but he upgraded to a more sophisticated model, and also purchased lights and darkroom equipment. The pair took photographs of each other that, for the time, would have been considered explicit. For Hindley, this demonstrated a marked change from her earlier, more shy and prudish nature.

Disillusioned

What I found interesting about Hindley was the fact that she didn’t actually take part in the murders but lured the victims. This brings up the question, why was she doing it? Did Brady influence her that greatly that she would even help him sexual assault and murder children? Or was she gaining pleasure from committing these crimes? Personally I find the latter very unlikely, due to the fact she had no involvement in the actual murdering of the victims. Therefore, how would she enjoy it, it seems ludicrous to me. However, I could comprehend a young girl enamored with a man and devoting herself to pleasing him.

Inspiration

What I also find fascinating is the way she was vilified in the media, what she did was disgusting and not acceptable but it was the fact she was a woman that made it more shocking. There is a belief that women are more gentle, nurturing and soft especially to children. So, for a woman to help murder children and bury them was outrageous. Much with Rosemary West there was an outcry from the public, they seemed more repulsed by her acts than Fred West’s as she she was a woman. Which is so drastically different from the ideals that society has of a woman. This is why I want to it to be a couple for my project. I think it is somewhat a reflection of Callum and I collaborating but overall I like the shock of a woman also doing something so horrific as cannibalism.

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Travelling Apothecary

When gathering initial ideas for my FMP, I looked to books, film and TV. I began to think of Frankenstein as they had recently redesigned classic book covers – Frankenstein being one of them. So as I did some Pinterest boards of the era I came across travelling apothecaries, I fell in love with their archaic look. However, I had recently been binging the NBC ‘Hannibal’ series, so this was in my mind and I had fallen in love with the psychology behind that character.

So, I began to really rack my brain and create Pinterest boards combining the two. I really liked the idea of creating a travelling apothecary for my cannibal, but I didn’t want it to be set too long in the past. Again, I began to think further and thought that maybe I could create a picnic basket for a cannibal, the fine dining aspect was so prevalent in ‘Hannibal’ I wanted to make this a key point in my project. Then, I thought I could collaborate these two with fine china but include all the tools a cannibal would need.

Therefore, have all the oils and ointments like the apothecary but they really be bottles that contain drugs to sedate a person. Moreover, I like the idea of it including ‘trophies’ from past murders such as hair and teeth as this is something quite a few murders do, which again adds another aspect of realism.

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Seventies Style

I think I began to in my head to set it in the seventies, the box I found was vintage and was made in the seventies, therefore that sprung the idea in my mind. Then, as I delved into my research I found there was a significant amount of serial killings and very prolific killings. Also, after researching ‘The Lovely Bones’ which is again set in the 70’s it really confirmed this decision.

Furthermore, I liked the idea of stepping into the room and being taken back in time. Even with things down to the smell, the dust and the décor. Moreover, I find that trying to set a cannibal in the twenty first century quite difficult, they would have to be very skilled to conceal the murders. Also, due to our resources it works well to create a shabby look so we can play on this with the room looking like it is disheveled and abandoned for many years. 

However, I feel I don’t want to have the garish, clashing patents of the seventies. I like the idea of it looking it derelict with small hints to the era, plus I think the bright, bold colours might distract and take away the serious tone that I was trying to convey. So, I’d probably use items such as records and cassettes that are associated with that time, therefore this prevents it from becoming gimmicky. I want to people to step in and feel there are experiencing are real place.

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Human Flesh - Why is it so Taboo?

Since Homer and the Greeks, we have been taught that cannibalism is the ultimate taboo. That continues from Homer through the Romans to Shakespeare, the brothers Grimm, Daniel Defoe, and Freud. It begins this snowball effect where we are taught that cannibalism is this horror. If you combine this ultimate taboo with our fascination with food, what you get is a fascination with the topic.

Cannibalism is a taboo in nearly every culture. However, in China there was a wave of famine-driven cannibalism during the Cultural Revolution. During the Cultural Revolution, privately owned farms were collectivized. These techniques did not work, though, which resulted in a lot of people starving. Many people across China were reduced to incidents of what is known as “starvation cannibalism”. Families were often reduced to trading their children for the children of their neighbors, so they wouldn’t wind up killing and eating their own kids. China is a special case because it was never exposed to the taboo against cannibalism. This is much more a Western taboo. Their culture dictates that, if you’re an emperor, you’re allowed to eat human body parts, then there’s nothing wrong with that. There are numerous descriptions of emperors and other members of the imperial court enjoying humans as a type of food, prepared in all different ways.

Even in the most extreme cases, the act of cannibalism is treated with scorn and disgust by many cultures and is sometimes punishable by social ostracisation, institutionalization in a mental facility, arrest, incarceration or even death. Cannibalism is most commonly believed to be the epitome of savage behavior. Still, it begs the question. Why are we fearful of cannibalism? What is it about the thought of human flesh that makes us feel repulsed? What makes it so taboo? Most acts of cannibalism are, to a degree, motivated by a desire to express power or control over the victim. Cannibalism is the ultimate expression of dominance over another person. Within our culture we have sadomasochism, this also includes dominance, which can sometimes be very violent and brutal. Some people use electrolysis and burn one another as a form of pleasure. Therefore, in the case of sexual cannibalism – why is it wrong?

Moreover, in the case of Armin Mewies, whom found a consenting adult, why was he condemned? I just find it bizarre how we can paint it so black and white, why is it okay to eat a cow but not a cat? What makes that wrong? Even as I ask myself these questions there is something so ingrained in me that tells me it’s immoral, but I can’t explain why. I believe we are no better than animals, yet I couldn’t consume a human and feel no guilt like I would with beef or chicken.

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The Lovely Bones

I was really inspired by the film ‘The Lovely Bones’, this confirmed my choice to set it in the 70’s, and helped me see the killer’s side which is very rarely depicted in films. This helped me gain further knowledge of the seventies era, as I didn’t want to be out of my depth when trying to create the 70’s style.

The character of Mr. Harvey really influenced my couple, as I liked the idea of seeing the process of the killer and seeing their perspective. Moreover, I found that it birthed a new aspect to ‘the killer’ as they weren’t mindless and it wasn’t spontaneous. As the viewer you got the ‘behind the scenes’, you saw him plan his contraption.

The character of Mr. Harvey really influenced my couple, as I liked the idea of seeing the process of the killer and seeing their perspective. Moreover, I found that it birthed a new aspect to ‘the killer’ as they weren’t mindless and it wasn’t spontaneous. As the viewer you got the ‘behind the scenes’, you saw him plan his contraption.

Plus, the candlelight I feel is usually linked to romance so this was quite the juxtaposition but did confuse the viewer as to where it was leading. With my previous research I know lighting is key to create mood, tone and focal points. So, I probably would like some lighting hanging over my box to highlight it to my viewer.

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Resident Evil Atmosphere/Environments

I recently played the newest game in the resident evil franchise “Resident Evil 7 Biohazard” I instantly fell in love with the environments and the over all atmosphere of the game. I felt birthed a new way to experience horror, it reminded me of the film “Drive” and how it handled violence, there was very view moments of violence but when they did occur it was much more shocking. Unlike most horror games that are constantly jumpscare after jumpscare or brawling every two seconds, instead it built up tension for the viewer as it left them waiting on something to happen.

Biohazard is set in Dulvey, Louisiana in the bayou which already throws you into a hot, sticky humid environment. As the player you begin to feel almost suffocated by the dense forest, its as if nature closes in on you. This feeling is only amplified when the player becomes trapped within the Baker’s house, as you journey through the house’s many corridors and rooms, it begins to feel maze like. It seems like your backtracking and often being stopped by locked doors and enemies which can cause a feeling of frustration and only furthers the sense of being trapped. However, as you revisit areas it doesn’t give you that feeling of going around in circles, in fact it actually leads to you discovering more. Therefore, it doesn’t allow it to become dull or boring it always creates a fresh and new experience for the player.

This has been a big inspiration for my room, Biohazard has perfectly blended the feeling of discovery, being closed in and did it all so subtlety. When creating an environment for a murder I never wanted it to be cliché with blood slashed up the walls and fingernail marks in the floorboards but just simply made the viewer feel ‘off’. Something they couldn’t quite place but that they felt uncomfortable.

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Body Suspension

The definition of body suspension is:  A suspension is the act of suspending a human body from hooks that have been put through body piercings. These piercings are temporary and are performed just prior to the actual suspension.

Participants of body suspension say results very but for the main part it appears that its quite euphoric for the person and creates an adrenaline rush. However, this is not why I am researching this. I felt body suspension was quite reminiscent of hanging meat at a butchers or slaughterhouse.

Therefore, I thought it might be interesting for something my character would look at for more sinister reasons. Such as hanging people like meat from the butchers and how they could do it. I think I might make a journal for my character to show ideas, musings and possibly sketches of things they’ve researched like this. This could show development and the inner workings of their mind.