Beware of the Man-Eating Cryptid! Please, view with caution!
Man-Eating Cryptid Story:
There once was a tree that dreamt of love. She was a big tree. Much bigger than all of the other trees. She was an outsider and very lonely. One day, a man came along. He was lost. He looked around, unknown of where he was, and suddenly became amazed. Never had he seen such a breathtaking tree before.
He walked closer to the tree and out loud said: “You are the most glorious tree in the world!”
“Why thank you!” The tree responded.
The tree offered to let the man take shelter under her. He stayed with her for many nights and days. They talked and talked and she soon fell in love with the man. One night when she was sleeping, she had a nightmare and woke up in a fright. She realized that the man was gone. She looked up at the full moon. Her heart ached. She waited for the man for many nights and days but he never came back.
From this moment on, whenever a man passed by her, she would capture him. Her branches would slowly and painfully break his bones and he would become attached to them forever, his bones becoming one with her.
What were your inspirations?
I was inspired by nature. In particular, Prospect Park. It’s my favorite park in New York and most of my art is inspired by it. I also think it’s interesting how people look at nature as feminine so I wanted to play on that aspect and make the tree female. As for the weeping willow part of my project, it’s one of my favorite trees. There’s something about it that’s so magical and just allows my imagination to flow.
What did you intend?
I intended on making a whimsical tree with a dark background story.
What research did you have to do?
I did some research on man-eating trees. There’s not that much on the topic but it was interesting to read about encounters people had with these trees. However, all of these encounters are unproven.
How did the deliverable match (or not) your goals?
My deliverable matched my goal in how the tree came out. However, it did not match my goals because I couldn’t figure out how to get the motor to work to make the tree spin around.
What new things (about process, materials, etc.) did you learn?
I learned a lot about 3D printing! I’d never done anything like that before so it was so exciting!
What would you do differently in your future builds?
I would probably make a sturdier tree and a bigger base.
