Jacqueline Smyth — IADT On Show 2020

Institute of Art Design + Technology Dún Laoghaire
Ireland’s campus for the Creative Industries

On Show 2020

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Jacqueline Smyth

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The Kapre is a mysterious giant known to hide in the dense jungles of the Philippines. A stalker of the night, he watches humans closely as they pass by, blending into his surroundings as he sits upon a large tree branch. With humanistic attributes, the Kapre has been described as 7 – 10 ft tall with brown skin, long hair, a beard and dark piercing eyes that can stare deep into your soul. Stories of the mythological creature have been passed down from generation to generation in the Philippines, and numerous people continue to report sightings today. Using accounts from Filipino people and through extensive research, this project intended to bring the Kapre to life in 3D for the first-time. A creature no longer shrouded by mystery but fabricated into reality. The concept for this piece was to be displayed in a hyper-modern folklore museum, where ancient creatures such as the Kapre were juxtaposed with edge-lit display technology. The exhibition was to represent the transformation occurring in traditional societies that are built on myth and legend. Rural parts of the Philippines are experiencing modernization and integration with technology, but the Kapre still stalks the night.

A video containing the process of making the Kapre.

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