Blog 3
At the start of the Better Lives unit, I imagined myself knowing the technique to make and apply prosthetics and some other basic special effect technique. As a 3D student, I have always been interested in the Hair and Makeup and Prosthetic course, and since our course has some common ground, I really looked forward to the practical session in the unit.
Until Covid-19 happened. At the start of January, I was worrying for my friends and family in China, I never anticipated that it would soon become a global pandemic and affect countries all over the world including the UK. Because of the epidemic, I went back to China at the beginning of the spring break. Later, the school turned into online classes and closed all the school facilities.
Of course, my most looked forward practical class has been canceled. In such a severe situation, this is indeed the most correct decision. We, therefore, changed to only making the design and does not need to worry about how to physically make the prosthetic. That change allows us to do a more conceptual design rather than something more practical since it needs to be physically made and applied to the model’s face.
My inspiration for my final design comes from the outbreak of COVID-19. Human beings have always thought that they are the masters of the planet, taking and wasting the planet’s resources recklessly and ungratefully. Neglecting the fact that we are not the only species on this planet and that we are supposed to share the resources with other species together. We are only an insignificant part of the planet and we are powerless in front of nature. However, the pollution and damage we have done to the planet are all irreversible and many of us are still blindly ignoring these facts.
Therefore my design is set in the future world. Due to the excessive destruction and pollution of human beings, the earth has become an extremely dangerous and uninhabitable planet. People who are unable to evacuate have mutated in order to protect themselves. The chronic radiation from nuclear leakage has caused the skin to become a dark red shade and full of blisters. In order to adapt to the new environment, two pairs of compound eyes have grown on the face, and the limbs have become longer to adapt to the complex terrain. All hair on the body surface is gone.
Although it is a more dramatic design, I still want people to be more aware of the current situation and make small changes to their current lifestyle in order to create a more sustainable environment for the future generation. I think I have learned a lot during this project. I am now more comfortable and willing to express my idea in different formats and medium which will definitely be beneficial for me in the future.