Date17 Oct 2017, 18:00 to 20:00
Venue
The Beveridge Hall, Ground Floor, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU
Description
Today we worry about chimaeras - organisms created by combining genes from more than one species - and science fiction writers imagine bizarre aliens on other planets, just as nineteenth-century novelists placed them in the Centre of the Earth, on Lost Worlds or in Lands that Time Forgot.
Almost every society has imagined monsters, often as hybrids of humans and beasts. This free public event brings together some of the most interesting researchers on ancient monsters and invites us to reflect on what purpose these nearly humans serve in societies ancient and modern.
This is a free event but booking is essential.
Dr Valeria Vitale (ICS), ‘Making Monsters’
Does your house look too quiet during the night? Do you really want to scare off the annoying neighbour’s cat? Do you want to, literally, amaze your friends at parties? Nothing like having your own monster! Join us as we share our tips on how to make and customise the monster of your dreams! You can leave the clay at home as we’ve moved into digital technologies. We will start by looking at the most common features that make a class of imaginary creatures perceived as “monstrous”, and try to extrapolate the recurring rules behind their creation. We will then transfer the same concepts into 3D modelling, using free software to explore the combination and modification of different components in order to build brand new digital monsters ready for 3D printing and the monsters’ entrance into the material world.
Disclaimer: we cannot be held liable for the actions of your newly-created monsters.
Other speakers
Prof David Wengrow (UCL), ‘What is a monster, and do we really need them?’
Dr. Dunstan Lowe (Kent), ‘Real monsters in ancient Rome’
Dr Liz Gloyn (Royal Holloway), ‘Why does the ancient monster survive in the modern world?’
There's now also a giveaway associated with this monster event: tweet or post with an image of your favorite ancient monster and the hashtag #ICSmonsters, and you could win a paperback copy of Fae Visions of the Mediterranean, an anthology of horrors and wonders of the sea, edited by Valeria. (Full rules and regs.)
ReplyDelete