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Loca%ngtheHybrid:Historical+CulturalAnalysis

Thefascina5onwiththehybrid1isasoldashumanciviliza5on.Ineveryculture,the

hybridhasbeenemployedinstorytelling,oenrepresen5ngthedarker,moremonstroussides

ofhumannature.Fearisoenusedastheprimarymo5vatorandhybridmonstrosi5esasthe

embodimentoffear.Thenaturalsocialcondi5onisfearofthehybrid,oenconsidereda

villainousbeastandadversaryofthebraveandvirtuous.Thehybridbeastmustbedefeatedin

ordertoretainanaturalorderofthingsandabalanceofgoodoverevil.In1900,D.S.Lamb

writesinreferencetotheMythicalMonster:

...weshallfindthatalmostwithoutexcep5onthegoodorhelpfulthingswere

personifiedbyformsthatarenaturalornormalandcomely,andthebadorhurPulby

formsthatareunnatural(so-called),abnormal,anduncomely,perhapsevenhideous

andmonstrous.(278)

Likeseacreatures,humanflies,cockroaches,anddog-facedboys,hybridsareterrifying.

Whetheryouareentertainedornot,thesemonsterswillsitandfesterinyourunconscious.

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Iheardcryingcomingfrommy2yearolddaughtersroom.WhenIwenttocheckonher,Ifoundshewasntjustcryingbutshudderingsadsobs.Whatswrong?IaskedandsherespondedMonstersinmymouthagain.Dontworry,IsaidItwasjustadream,Itwasntreal.Therearenosuchthingsasmonsters.Shehuggedmeandfeltbe\erbutthefearwass5llthereandwassuretoreturn.Shewasntconvinced.

Inmythology,theMinotaurisoenshownasanabomina5onofman.Somelegends

statethatKingMinosbetrayedoseidonandaspunishment,theKingswifewasmadetofall

madlyinloveandhavesexwithabull,themutantoffspringaresultofthatcoupling.The

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1Often depicted as half-human and half-animal, the fundamental makeup of my hybrid character is the fusion of two or moreentities into a single anomalous character.

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QueennursedthebabyMinotaurun5litwasapparentthatitneededhumanfleshfor

nourishment.Itwasthenbanishedtoalabyrinthprisonandwasofferedhumansacrificesfrom

itsfather,theKing.

Onecouldofferanalternate

interpreta5onthatiden5fiestheMinotaur

(Fig.A)asavic5m,shamehavingdriventhe

KingandQueentobanishtheirfreakchildto

thelabyrinthandthroughstarva5on,the

Minotaurwasforcedtoeathumanflesh.

TheKingwasthenabletousetheMinotaur

asasymboltoins5llfearinhiskingdomand

keepthemwithinhiscontrol.Inthis

interpreta5on,KingMinosbecomesthe

monsterratherthanhismutantson.

However,theuseoffearexistsinboth

interpreta5ons.Whetheritbeganasa

gentle-naturedcreatureornot,themutatedMinotaurisrecognizedasbeingcapableof

murderousac5ons.

Hybridsareliminalbeings.Theyarecompositesofvariousunpredictablenaturesthat

areextremelycomplexandvirtuallyunclassifiable.Themergingofforeignbodies,behaviors

andconsciousnesscreatesthiscomplexity.Withinthesecreatures,thereexistsbothop5mism

andpessimism.Theyarerepresenta5onsofwhatremainsofourcoreanimalins5nctsand

foreverchallengetheindiscernibleboundarybetweenhumanandanimal.Weareunableto

Fig. A. The Minotaur. George Frederic Watts - 1896!

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resistiden5fyingwiththem.Weareunabletoresistiden5fyingwiththehybridcharacter/

creature.Lambstates,Oneofthemoststrikingandfamiliarquali5esoftheprimi5vehuman

mindisthedisposi5ontopersonify(Lamb,277).However,simplepersonifica5oncannotbegin

tounravelthecomplexnatureofthehybrid;onemustdelvemoredeeply.

ThehybridcharactersIcreatecontainamutatedphysicality.Iden5fiabletracesofall

sidesofthecompositearevisible,makingthecreatureappearatoncedeformed/disabledand

evolved/transformed.Theveryessenceofahybridsuggeststhattheyareofmul5pleworlds

andmul5pleminds.Thereisanalterna5ngandnaturallyoccurringdynamismintheirphysical

makeupthatmightalsosuggesttherangeofpossiblebehaviorsareasmutatedandmul5plied

astheirbodilyform.Inthisway,boththevillainandtheheromightbeharnessedwithinthe

monstroushybrid.

WithinthispaperIwillbefocusingonexamplesofcomplexhybridcharactersthathave

thecapacitytoaccessconflic5ngquali5essuchasgoodandevil,beautyandmonstrosity,

fragilityandstrength.Whilethepoten5altodiscussmonstroushybridsisquitebroad,Iwill

concentrateonthefic5onalworksofAlanMooresSwampThing,JanvankmajersLi-leO1k

andMaryShelleysFrankenstein.Withtheexamina5onofthiswork,itismyinten5onto

developacontextfortheuseofhybridsinmywork,whilealsoiden5fyingthehybridasa

predominantmetaphorforunderstandingtheresidualanimalnaturepresentinhumans.

UnderstandingtheHybrid

Inordertosuccessfullygeneratehybridcreatures,Imustfirstunderstandtheir

cons5tu5on.InhisbookTheOpen:ManandAnimal,philosopherGiorgioAgamben

deconstructstheroleofmanasasuperiorbeing.Healsodiscussestheeffectsofdis5nguishing

humansfromotherspecies,mostnotablyanimal.Agambenu5lizestheresearchofzoologist

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JakobvonUexklltoexplorevariousmethodsofunderstandinganimals.Uexkllproposedthat

inordertocomprehendanimalswehavetofirstiden5fytheirumwelt,atermwhichhe

describesabeingsinternalenvironment-world.Theseworldsexistconceptuallyfromthe

point-of-viewoftheanimal.AsAgambenstates:

Theredoesnotexistaforestasanobjec5velyfixedenvironment:thereexistsaforest-

for-the-park-ranger,aforest-for-the-hunter,aforest-for-the-botanist,aforest-for-the-

wayfarer,aforest-for-the-nature-Iover,aforest-for-the-carpenter,andfinallyafable

forestinwhichLi\leRedRidingHoodlosesherway.(41)

Agambenthentheorizes,Thefirsttaskoftheresearcherobservingananimalisto

recognizethecarriersofsignificancewhichcons5tuteitsenvironment.Thesecarriersof

significancecanbeinterpretedaselementsthataredeemedimportanttotheanimal.An

excellent,andrathergruesomedescrip5on,ofanumweltbyUexkllisrevealedinalater

chapter:

...thiseyelessanimalfindsthewaytoherwatchpoint[atthetopofatallbladeofgrass]

withthehelpofonlyitsskinsgeneralsensi5vitytolight.Theapproachofherprey

becomesapparenttothisblindanddeafbanditonlythroughhersenseofsmell.The

odorofbutyricacid,whichemanatesfromthesebaceousfolliclesofallmammals,works

onthe5ckasasignalthatcauseshertoabandonherpost(ontopofthebladeofgrass/

bush)andfallblindlydownwardtowardherprey.Ifsheisfortunateenoughtofallon

somethingwarm(whichsheperceivesbymeansofanorgansensibletoaprecise

temperature)thenshehasa\ainedherprey,thewarm-bloodedanimal,andthereaer

needsonlythehelpofhersenseoftouchtofindtheleasthairyspotpossibleand

embedherselfuptoherheadinthecutaneous5ssueofherprey.Shecannowslowlysuckupastreamofwarmblood.(46)

Fromthisdescrip5on,theumweltofthe5ckcanbedescribedashaving3carriersof

significance:firstistheneedforatemperature-specificliquidwhichhappenstobeblood;

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secondly,apar5cularodorthatemanatesfrommammalsthattheyaredrawntoand,lastly,the

abilitytodis5nguishthehairypartsofthemammalwithexposedfleshyareas.Withthese

carriersweareabletofurtheriden5fywiththecreatureandachieveabe\erunderstandingof

itsbasicmodesforsurvivalanditsac5onsofbeingallowingforinsightintoitsuniqueexistence.

AgambensproposedsysteminformedbyUexkllsresearchpermeatesmy

methodologyforunderstandingthecrea5onofanimalworldshassimultaneouslyhasinformed

thewayinwhichIcreatehybridcreatures.Bydefiningthecreaturescarriers,Icandevelopa

be\erunderstandingofbothitsumweltanditsappearanceinmywork.Inconsideringthe

Fig. B. (left) The Mermaid. Study Sketch. (right) The Mermaid. Final Render.

Myron Campbell - 2011!

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characteranditsenvironment,Imustconsciouslydeterminehowtoachieveanunexpected

anddisorien5ngexperience:Iamforcedtodisruptmyins5nctualreferencetoandbiased

no5onsofitsbehaviorandenvironmentbasedonmyoriginalsketch(Fig.B).

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Myawontgoinherroom.Sheissinginthedarkhallwaywithherheaddowndeepinherhands;herelbowsres5ngonherkneecaps.Herlongblondehairiscoveringherface.SheremindsmeofCousinItfromTheMunstersbutalsothatcreepygirlfromTheRing.Shesaysthemonstersareinherroomandsheistooscaredtogoin.IpretendtheyarerealandtellthemtoGOAWAY,MONSTERS,SHOO!!Shebelievestheydo,however,iftheyhavetheabilitytoleave,theyalsohavetheabilitytocomeback...

Frankenstein:TheManandTheMonster

Thetradi5onofmonstrositycon5nuesasa

prominentthemeinFrankenstein,thefamous

novelbyMaryShelley.Frankensteinscreature

ishideouslyuglyandincrediblyabject,standing

over8tall.(Fig.C)Itsmonstrositystems

purelyfromitsgrotesqueappearanceandthe

supernaturalmethodsinwhichitwasmade

(havingbeenconstructedofchemicalsandthe

assemblyofstolenbodypartsfrommul5ple

corpses).SimilartotheMinotaurhowever,

itsbehaviorcanbereadasmorecomplex

thanpurelymonster.Atthe5meofhisbirth,thecreatureiscaringandtenderandisas

Fig. C. Boris Karloff as Frankensteins Monster

Frankenstein- Universal Pictures - 1931 !

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innocentasanynewbornwouldbe.Unlikehismute,dull-wi\edbehaviorinHollywood

portrayals,Shelleysoriginaldepic5onisoneofintelligenceandkindness.

Inthefollowingpassage,Frankensteiniswokenwithastarttothecreaturewatchingfondly

overhim.

...bythedimandyellowlightofthemoon,asitforceditswaythroughthewindow

shu\ers,IbeheldthewretchthemiserablemonsterwhomIhadcreated.Heheldup

thecurtainofthebed;andhiseyes,ifeyestheymaybecalled,werefixedonme.His

jawsopened,andhemu\eredsomeinar5culatesounds,whileagrinwrinkledhis

cheeks.Hemighthavespoken,butIdidnothear;onehandwasstretchedout,

seeminglytodetainme,butIescapedandrusheddownstairs.(7)

Theanimal 2componenttothispar5cularhybridisnotanobviousoneyetitis

undeniablytreatedasoneallthroughoutthestory.Aernumerousa\emptsatintegra5onand

acceptance,themonster/hybridisrejectedbybothsocietyanditsowncreator.Thisresultsin

thecreaturesfeelingdisgusttowardsitself.Thecreaturestatesinthestory,I,themiserable

andtheabandoned,amanabor5on,tobespurnedat,andkicked,andtrampledon.(Shelley,

210)Thisfeelingofrejec5onfuelsthecreaturesrage,ashetakesrevengeonthe

unsympathe5cmaker,VictorFrankenstein.Oneinterpreta5oncanbethatthemonsterwas

provokedintothisvengefulstateasaresultofalove-lessandaffec5on-lessrela5onshipwithits

creator.Onecouldfurthersuggestthatthemonstersneedforaffec5onisoneofitscarriers

ofsignificanceandthedepriva5onofthatcarriergaverisetoaviciousrebellionandbrutal

temperament:themonsterhasmanifested.Althoughtherearenumerousviolentacts,the

creaturesa\emptathumanityarguablyoutweighshisactsofmonstrosity.Thoughthe

creaturemadefrequenta\emptstogainfriendshipwithothers,therejec5onheenduredand

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2For the purposes of this essay, I will be using the term animal to describe all non-human sentient beings. However, I do recognizethat a human being is considered an animal.

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thedepriva5onofaffec5onresultedinmurderousac5on,alltargetedtowardFrankensteins

friendsandfamilymembers.

GeorgeLevine,aneditorofarecentcollec5onofessaysonFrankenstein,observes:"So

pervasivehasbeentherecogni5onthattheMonsterandFrankensteinaretwoaspectsofthe

samebeingthatthewritersinthisvolumeassumeratherthanargueit.(1)"Victor

Frankensteindeniedinvolvementintheini5almurderswhichledtofurtherkillings.His

selfishnessandsecrecywasmoreimportantthanthewell-beingofhislovedones.Itsarguable

thatthisselfishnesscould,indirectly,puttheblameonFrankensteinforthemurders.Thisman,

havingtheappearanceofnormalityincontrasttothebeast,harborsthemonster-withinthat

growswithhatredtowardshiscrea5on.Itisinfact,DrFrankensteinwhoisthemonsterandnot

thecreatureaerall.

ThecomplexbehaviorofFrankensteinscrea5onholdsaninfinitepoten5alforboth

horrorandbeauty.Intruth,thisstorycouldnothaveachievedsuchlevelsofhorrorhadthe

compassionatesidetothecreaturenotoccurred.ShouldIbesuccessfulinachievingthis

dichotomyinthecharactersIcreate,itwilleffec5velydestabilizethedis5nc5onbetweengood

andevil.

SwampThing:TheBiocentric

Theworldofcomicsoffersalongtradi5onofemployinghybridcharacters.Thereisno

shortageofsuper-heroesusinganimalsasmo5fstoevokefearintheircombatants.Characters

suchasBatman,Catwoman,WolverineandBlackWidowuseanimalasarchetypestorepresent

analternatevigilanteiden5tythatcanembraceandharnessananimalis5crawnessnecessary

toengageinba\le.Thesecharacters,likemanyothers,alsorepresentthedarkersideofcrime-

figh5ngthatembodiesmorethean5-herothanatruehero.Thean5-heroisonethatis

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conflicted,complicatedandmixesgoodwithevil.Theseduali5esplayoutintheirstories,

enrichingthenarra5veandmakingtheirpathsundetermined,mysteriousandinevitablymore

intriguing.

AlecHolland,afic55ousbiologist,joinedwithTheGreenandbecameSwampThing,

inheri5ngtheabilitytoanimatevegeta5onandcommunicatewithallplant-life.Heisa

powerfulelementalbeing,torturedbyhisgi,becomingahideoustransforma5on.Thistorture

includedhisabilitytohearthevoicesofvegeta5on.Forexample,inthisoutwardlycalming

forestscene(Fig.D),hecouldhearthescreamingoftreesbeingstrangledbyotherplants.

Laterinnarra5ve,hedescribesplantlife,althoughseeminglybeau5ful,asthemostvicious

strainoflifeinexistence.

Fig. D. Swamp Thing # 2 - Snyder, Scott (w), Yanick Paquette (p), and Nathan Fairbairn (i).DC Comics Inc - 2011!

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Initsgenesisin1971,SwampThingservedastheperfectstereotypicalhorrorcomic:a

scien5stistransformedintoamonstroushumanoidaerachemicalexplosionwhostopsat

nothinginordertoregainitshumanity.Unfortunately,thiswasnotcompellingenoughto

sustainanaudienceandaerahugedropinsales,thebookwasputintore5rement.The

creaturelackedsubstance,depthandhadnoothernarra5vesustainabilityapartfromanall-

too-familiarterrorizingbeast.

In1982,theserieswasresurrected.WhenAlanMoorebeganwri5ngtheseries,he

alteredtheoriginofSwampThingdrawingonancientmythologicalfolklore.Moorewas

influencedbyancientmythologicalstoriesofTheGreenManwhowassaidtorepresent

rebirth,"denotefer5lity,growthandrenewal.Greenleavesaresymbolicoflife

renewed"(Varner,192).Drawingfromthisrichsourcematerial,Moorebegantodevelopa

characterwithenhancedintricatebehavior,onethatwasconstantlylearningtobeatpeace

withhis(?)transforma5on.Mooresversioninsertedapreviously-lackingdepthintotheSwamp

Thingcreature,crea5ngarive5ngnarra5vethatbeginstorevealitsontology.Thecreatures

origin,asdescribedbyascien5stinissue#21,cameaerAlecHollandsdeath.

[AlecHolland]decomposes[atthebo\omoftheswamp].Thoseplantseathim.They

eathimasifhewereaplanarianworm,oracannibalwiseman,orageniusonrye!They

eathim...andtheybecomeinfectedbyapowerfulconsciousnessthatdoesnotrealizeit

isnolongeralive!ItwasaplantthatthoughtitwasAlecHolland!(Moore,11)

Hisnewlymergedconsciousnessbeganaprocessofduplica5ngbones,organsandflesh

fromvarioussourcesofplant-life.Interes5ngly,thebeastinthiscaseisnotthehuman

transformed,butinsteadamemoryofthemanrestoredfromsuppleplantfiber.(12)

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AlongwithHollandsresidualmemoriescamerecollec5onsofawomanhehadfallenin

lovewith.Thefemalecharacter,AbbyArcaineisnowfacedwithreconnec5ngwithherpast

loverthroughthetransformedmessofvinesandweedsthatisSwampThing.Thecreatureis

hauntedbymemoriesthatarenothis,yetexistwithinhim,astheremainderofhishumanity.

Thesememoriesdevelopintoarenewed/transformedlovewithAbbyArcaine,onethatis

reciprocatedover5me.Inhisrela5onshipwithAbbyArcainethereaderdiscoversagentler,

morehumansidetothebeast,onethatissensi5veandcaring.However,hismonstrositys5ll

existsinthefaceofdanger,rippinglimbsfromothercreaturesthatposeathreattohimorhis

lovedones.(Fig.E)

Fig. E. Moore, Alan (w), Stephen Bissett and John Totleben (p), and Tatjana Wood (i). "The Anatomy

! Lesson." Love and DeathVol. 2, New York: DC Comics Inc, 1984.

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SimilartoFrankensteinsmonster,SwampThingsmakeuphasbeenconstructedfrom

oneofpuretortureandtorment.Regardlessofitsmonstrousappearance,thedesiretofind

humanityremains,whetherthroughtherebuildingofabodyorfindinglove.Thecreatureiss5ll

taskedwithfindingabalancebetweenhumanandnature,infectedwiththeviciousnessof

plants.Thiscomplexityallowsforrichnessofcharacteranddrawsoutcomplexemo5ons.

UnlikeFrankensteinandtheaforemen5onedsuperherostories,SwampThingbreaks

downtheanthropocentricsystemofconven5onalman-versus-the-worldcomicbook

narra5ves.Thecreaturescarrieristomaintainabalancebetweenhumanciviliza5onand

nature.Onedoesnotoutweightheother,bothequallybeneficialandintrinsically5edtothe

creaturesexistence.Inmywork,Iamalsointerestedinhighligh5ngabiocentricquality

focusingmoreontransforma5veandevolu5onaryhybridsthatbalanceandfindequalvaluein

allaspectsofnature.

LiGleO%k-ParadoxofHorror

Ihavealsobeeninves5ga5nghybridformswithintherealmofanima5on.Thereisa

longhistoryofanthropomorphiccharactersinanima5on,prominentlyseeninchildrens

movies.Throughtheprocessofa\ribu5nghumancharacteris5cstoanimals,themakersare

rejec5ngthecharacterspoten5alumwelts.Theyaremerelypuppetsmadetocarryouthuman

ac5ons.Throughanthropomorphism,thecreatorsofchildrensanima5onsareabletoevokean

empathe5cresponsefromtheaudience.Evolu5onaryBiologist,StephenJayGouldsuggests

that,DisneyanimatorsknewwellthatthelargeeyesofBambiwouldelicitanemo5onal

responsefromaudiencesmoreakintotheaffec5ondisplayedtowardahumanchildthanif

theyhaddrawnthedeerseyestoscale.(Gould1979citedDastonandMitman200)

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Thesecharactersoenheldtruetostereotypesderivedfromwhatwasknownofanimal

behavior:the5midbabydeer,themischievousrabbit,thewiseoldowl(Fig.F).These

charactersarefilledwithpresump5onsandpuri5esbasedonwhatiscommonlyexpectedfrom

animals.Oppositetoanumwelt,thiswouldbewhatUexkllreferredtoasUmgebung,which

Agambensummarizesas...theobjec5vespaceinwhichweseealivingbeingmoving.Every

environmentisaclosedunityinitselfwhichresultsfromtheselec5vesamplingofaseriesof

elementsor"marks"intheumgebung,which,inturn,isnothingotherthanman's

environment.(40-41)

Anima5onhasthepoten5altodosomuchmore:tobreakdownexpecta5onsand

puri5es,toblurboundariesbetweenhumanandanimal,tocreatefantas5calworldsandto

perceivehybridcreatures.S5ll,itcanbearguedthatevenoncetheumgebungisrejected,there

iss5llnodiscerniblewaytoenteranothersumwelt.Ashumans,wewillneveren5rely

Fig. F. (from left to right)

Owl - Winnie The Pooh, Disney Pictures. 1926

Bambi - Bambi, Disney Pictures. 1942.

Bugs Bunny, Leon Schlesinger Productions. 1938

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understandtheother,yetthea\emptgivesusthepowertoremoveourselvesfromthe

picture.

Janvankmajer'sstop-

mo5onanimatedfilmscontained

whatNoelCarrollcalledaparadoxof

horrorwhichincorporatesthe

a\rac5ontotherepulsiveorthe

uncanny.Thisparadoxamountsto

theques5onofhowpeoplecanbe

a\ractedbywhatisrepulsive.(160)

Thisparadoxofhorrorstemsfroma

desiretoreleasewhatislogicalandexpected.vankmajer'sworldsarealwaysinastateofflux:

inanimateobjectsbecomeanimate,charactersandenvironmentsconstantlychangeand

transform.Inthisway,whatisfamiliarisalteredandrecons5tuted.

vankmajeru5lizesanima5ontoachievethisdisorien5ngaffectontheviewer.Inhis

featurefilm,Li-leO1k,atreehumanbabyiscaredforbyitsadoptedparents.Initsinfancy,it

showsfundamentalhumanquali5eslikeinnocenceandnaivety.Asitages,itstruenatureis

revealed,becomingmoreviciousfirstbyea5ngitsmothershair(Fig.H),andlaterkillingand

ea5ngtheneighbors.

SimilartoFrankensteinsmonster,O5khasbeengivenlifeandisforcedintoahuman

existence.However,theirmakeupisfundamentallydifferent.Frankensteinsmonsteris5mid

andcompassionateandul5matelymorehumanthanO5k.Thereisarawanimalis5cnature

thatlivesinO5k,onethatexistssimilarlyinAgambens1ck,sharingasimilardesireforbloodas

Fig. G. Still from Little Otik. Jan vankmajer - 2000

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itscarrier.O5kistreatedashumanyetrejectsitshumanityinordertosa5sfyitsanimalnature.

O5kbringsforwardaninteres5ngrealiza5onformeandthehybridsIcreate:inorderto

successfullybringforththeanimalnatureofacharacter,Imustalsosimultaneouslyrevealthe

humanandviceversa.

Therealmofanima5onallowsforthistypeofrepresenta5onandexaggera5on.Itgives

melicensetocreatethesetypesofcreatures.Thestrangeandsupernaturalcanbemadevisible

andlifecanbecomeanimated.Aninterac5vecomponent,whichengagestheviewerto

par5cipate,enablestheviewertoexistwithintheexperience;tobeamongstthecreatureinits

ownhabitat;tobeacknowledgedthroughtheumweltoftheother.Whenthevieweris

acknowledged,thehybridcreaturesIcreatemaydisappearfromsight,actdifferentlyormay

con5nueinspiteofyourpresence.Thisunpredictable,unfixednatureisonethatinterac5vity

allows.

Welcome,theBeastandSavior:TheAbjectHybrid

Iamusingtheanimal-humanhybridasametaphorfortheabilityforhumanbehaviorto

revealouranimalandhumannatureandourmutualpoten5alformonstrosity.Iminterestedin

whatitmeanstobehumanwhilealsotryingtounderstandtheoverlapbetweenanimaland

humannature.Havingseenexploredtheexamplesinthispaper,itisclearthattheuseofa

hybridcharactercanelicitadividednaturethatemploysfragilityandstrength,goodandevil

andsoon...Thesecharactersarealsoabletoaccesshorrorinauniqueway.Themonsteris

revealedintheabsenceoftherespec5vecarrier.Frankensteinsmonsterkillsduetolackof

affec5on,SwampThingkillswhenthereisanimbalancebetweenmanandnatureandO5kkills

whenitshungryandneedsblood.Bywitnessingthecharactersumwelt,andwithan

understandingofthehybrid,theviolentactsperformedbythemonstroushybridsareperhaps

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deemedjus5fied.Eachcharacterstrikestheaudiencewithintrigue;firstwithcharacteris5cslike

innocenceandnaivety;followedbyvulnerabilityoftheabject.JuliaKristevadescribesabjec5on

asthelossofdis5nc5onsta5ng,Itisthusnotlackofcleanlinessorhealththatcausesabjec5on

butwhatdisturbsiden5ty,system,order.Whatdoesnotrespectborders,posi5ons,rules.The

in-between,theambiguous,thescience,theshamelessrapist,thekillerwhoclaimsheisa

savior.(4)Shetheorizesthatabjec5onisambiguous,uncertain,andbeyondexplana5on.Itis

withinthisin-betweenabjectstatethatIsituatemywork,drawingonthefindingsofhistoric

monstroushybrids.

Whiletheexamplesinthisinves5ga5onareinspiring,theyareasta5cformof

storytellingandrelyonstructurednarra5ves.Iammoreinterestedintheevolu5onand

muta5onofthenarra5veinanon-linearexperience.Ratherthanbuildingaconcretebeginning,

middleandend,Iamcrea5ngalayered,poten5alnarra5veratherthandeliveringthewhole

story.riorityisgiventomomentsofthecharacter'slifewithoutafixed5meline.Ambiguity

allowstheviewertoaccesstheworkfromvariousentrypoints.Thislayeredapproachisyet

anotherversionofhybridityinmyworkmergingmul5pleforeign,story-chargedfragmentsto

createanopen-endedexperience.

04/02/11-11:2am.

MydaughterandIwerehavingbreakfastwithmymom.WhenImen5onedthemonsternightmarestoherIcouldseeMyasmoodshi.Shewasgengscaredthinkingaboutthemagain.Mymomrecognizedthisandjumpedin,Mya,dontworryaboutmonsters.Theyarejustlonelyandalltheyreallywanttodoisplaywithyou.Sonext5meyouseeone,justinviteitto

comeandplaywithyouanditwontscareyouanymore.JustyesterdayMyatoldmethenameofhernewmonsterfriend,Ahmon,andthensaidMonstersnicenow.AndIbelieveher.

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WorksCited

Agamben,Giorgio.TheOpen:ManandAnimal.BoardofTrusteesoftheLelandStanford

JuniorUniversity.2004

Carroll,Noel.ThePhilosophyofHorrororParadoxesoftheHeart,London:Routledge,1990.

Datson,D.andMitman,G.TheHowandWhyofThinkingwithAnimalsIn:ThinkingWith

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