Update: Contest deadline extended untill 14.05.2016, we are still looking for more designs, mainly Latawiec and Chochlik.
We are happy to announce you can be a part of our next project and help to design 1 of 5 characters for upcoming permanent installation in Rzeszów and get your character created in 3D by Krzysztof Szczepański (Lead animator at ILM) !
We are looking for artists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to help us with the creation process of „Slavic beasts” for this year’s „East of Culture” festival in June.
If you can imagine and draw one of the legendary creature listed below you can participate in our contest.
( also please check the rules first ;) )
Your character will be brought to life in 3D by Krzysztof Szczepański ( Lead animator at ILM ) who worked for 5 years in Weta Digital on all 3 parts of The Hobbit (animating characters like Smaug and many others)
Each author of selected by jury character design will receive a money prize of 200Euro.
Why do we need your help?
East of Culture festival is all about connecting artists and creating new opportunities to collaborate.
Our installation will contain 5 of slavic mythical beasts in form of a “hologram” captured in a wooden case. With a short description of how that creature was rooted in culture.
Poland as well as other eastern countries share the same slavic roots so each of these beasts was more or less the same in your country myths couple hundred years ago.
We thought that the design process should start with our artist friends from the east.
Step one – choose your character
Choose one or more of characters listed below and start drawing! Each design that meet our requirements will be included in the contest.
Here are 5 short descriptions to get your creative mind going:
- ZMORA ( humanoid )
Zmoras were souls of particularly evil women. When everyone was sound asleep Zmora would leave the body of its host and look for prey.Zmoras were known for strangling their victims and sucking out their blood.
They were known for taking a shape of a very tall woman with large bulging eyes, thick dark hair and really smelly breath.They also had the ability to turn into a number of small animals: mosquitoes, moths or mice.
This allowed them to find their way into any house or apartment. Once inside, Zmora would sit on its victim’s chest and slide their thin tongue into his or her mouth to suck out their blood.
They would usually disappear before the dawn. The next morning the victim would wake up exhausted and weary.
In most cases the victims were family members and nearest neighbors but there were instances of Zmoras attacking people on random.Zmoras would rarely murder their victims but since those attacks were quite common they earned their horrible reputation.
There were dozens known ways to prevent a potential Zmora attack. Unfortunately non that worked every time.
The most popular was: rotating and/or moving your bed to a different part of the room and drawing a white protecting circle around it.
- BLOTNIK ( insect creature )
Blotnik was a large insect like creature which inhabit swamps of Subcarpathian lowlands.
At night it would start emitting a translucent light and lure its victims into a their doom. Its diet usually consisted of lost travelers who were lured by the light.
Blotnik was also known to prey on treasure hunters who believed that during the night a lost gold shines with bright light, which makes it easier to find. Countless fools, seeking fortune found their way straight into Blotnik’s hideout.
- CHOCHLIK ( cat demon )
Chochlik was a mischievous little creature. He could usually be found in the pantry or a larder. He was known to play tricks and prank people but mainly he was infamous for eating people’s food supplies.
It was a size of a house cat and it resembled one too. Mistaking a Chochlik for a cat was a common mistake but an unfortunate one. Startling a Chochlik could end in mad fury. When that occurred he could wreck the whole pantry. It was a good rule of thumb not to get in his way.
- LATAWIEC ( flying character )
Whenever someone died an unexpected and sudden death, there was a high probability, his soul would come back as a flying creature called Latawiec. It would usually materialize itself right before the storm. His presence attracted lightning strikes which always seem to follow him. It would sore close to the ground and generate a horryfying howl. Latawiec would usually end up being killed by the lightning. Before that happened it would usually cause panic and destruction in the area.
Since the demon attracted lightning it would purposefully draw them towards church towers and houses. People believed that lighting was God’s will and that a fire initiated by it should not be put down. If that happened to be someone’s house, its owner must have deserves such terrible faith
- STUKACZ ( little demon )
Stukacz was a cunning little demon. His appearance was announced with a sudden eruption of noises in the house. Loud thumping and scraping sounds in the attic was his trademark. Even though he was a regular guest not many people could claim to get ever lay their eyes on this unwelcome visitor. Those who did catch a glimpse of it describe him as a small furry creature with a thin, long limbs with distinct large, red glowing eyes.
Description source:
Bestiariusz Słowiański
Step two – Start drawing
We accept any technique in digital format, it can be a pencil scetch or a digital painting.
The best character design shows your creation from diferent angles, but you can get away with a good scatch if you will grab the essential parts of your creation.
Here’s a good example by Boris M.:
Step three – send your work
Photograph or scan your image and send it to us in good quality JPEG format to (or use the form below) within 14 of May 2016 with your contact details, few words about yourself and your work.
After that you will receive a confirmation email and winners will be anouced
Step four – contest anouncment and winners
We will choose one design for each character (ZMORA, BLOTNIK, CHOCHLIK, LATAWIEC and STUKACZ) from all artist and designs send to us that meet our requirements listed in contest rules.
Jury:
All works will be viewed and selected by our jury on 16th of May 2016 and the winners will be informed via email.
Krzysztof Szczepański ( Lead animator at ILM )
Marcin Dziedzic ( Director of Estrada Rzeszowska)
Jakub Hader ( Founder of Precyzja Foundation )
Step five – final presentation
Each selected character will be designed in 3D software by Krzysztof Szczepanski and animated for the installation in the cage. Complete work will be presented durign East of Culture festival in Rzeszów on 26.06.2016. Concept art and selected drawings will be printed and prestented in form of a gallery near the installation.
Every winner will receive full video and photo package form the premiere of this collab project.
About the festival:
The East of Culture is a cultural project integrating artistic circles from the cities located in eastern Poland (Białystok, Lublin and Rzeszów) with artists from the countries of the Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine), carried out by the National Centre of Culture and the three abovementioned cities. The idea behind the project is a joint discovery of what is unique for each culture, as well as an exchange of artistic experience. In the course of time the festival has become a bridge serving to integrate our eastern partners into the life of the European culture.
About Precyzja Foundation:
Precyzja was founded to create and promote new media projects involving media artists focused on their fields of work. Group was founded by Jakub Hader, who works in the field of generative art and experiments with real time video mapping and interactive installations. Sound design is created by composer, sound artist and performer Radosław Rudnicki. Radek holds PhD in Digital Composition from the University of York and is working with technology and multimedia in Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI, York). Conceptual side of the projects aswell as technical support is provided by Patrycja Ochała. Group works are focused on video mapping, interactive art and combining science with art in real time data visualization. Since 2014 the group has a cultural non-profit foundation status.
Submit your design:
