After looking at my concepts from my last blog post and asking feedback from classmates and friends it seems that my original concept of Caterus was the most liked which I had no issue with as I held a certain fondness for it as well! The credits for original object used are underneath the final product images.
Here is the original concept meshed using Tinkercad!
I have shown a certain number of people this project I got a bunch of feedback! Many of them said that they quite liked the concept of turning Cerberus into a cat. Also, many people liked the fact that I added skulls onto it since it was a guardian of the gates of Tartarus! Someone added that I should add more skeleton elements to this design, such as a backbone, and that got me thinking on the track of making a more creepy design. I started to add more spikes and a backbone. I quite like this idea more than the original because the design now looks more unified in its theme rather than just a cat with skeleton heads. I sculpted in some elements as well as the remix to try and make a more connected design.
Below is the final unified Caterus design created in Meshmixer!
Original Objects:
I had to use premade models in order to remix in the first place! Here are photos as well as links to the original models that I remixed. All of these I found on the site Thingiverse.
Cat Skull by Bfince
Link: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1732935
Link: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1732935
BodyParts3D Lumbar Vertebrae by: Cbonsig
Leopard by YahooJAPAN
Thingiverse Upload: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1803952
After finishing the remix I uploaded my project to Thingiverse where anyone can download it, 3D print it, or even remix it further! I had to update my entry, and for some reason the Thingiview did not come back. I am going to try and figure out why Thingiverse decided to remove it.
Caterus and Remix Culture
Remix culture is truly incredible and I am glad that I live in a time where a large variety of media is easily accessible! I remixed different skeleton pieces with a leopard body to show Cerberus's connection with death. I also felt that using elements such as the spinal cord and the cat skulls made the cat more creepy which would be a great deal more fitting for a guardian of the underworld. I remixed the elements to make something even more than Cerberus, instead of a dog with three heads simply exchanged with a cat, I wanted it to feel more terrifying, maybe even perhaps sitting somewhere in the uncanny valley. It looks like a cat, but parts of it are still rather off.
All the objects use have different symbols and ideas that we put behind them. Spinal cords and skulls tend to represent the idea of death in our minds. They also tend to be what we consider the basis of life in a way, a basis for the rest of the body to be formed around. Leopards/cats tend to hold a certain elegance and beauty to them. Cats are also considered cute, and cuddly, however, cats can also be considered eerie and mysterious. By combining the skeletal elements with the cat, I feel that it brings out the more creepy symbolism of cats. (Even though Caterus is still rather cute in my eyes.) But beyond creepy, the combination of the skull and cat brings out more than that. It brings out a feeling of power, as if this creature were a god of death. The juxtaposition in death's raw elements and a playful feline, make a powerful looking creature with both mystical powers as well as stealth. I quite like the mystical feeling the elements contrasted create. I tried to juxtapose a living creature with a dead one to create the idea of an undead element, showing something much darker at play. As well, cats are very energetic and full of life, so combining that with death also creates the idea of power and magic.
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