proposal for resuscitating prehistoric creatures

PROPOSAL FORRESUSCITATINGPREHISTORIC CREATURESBY MARGUERITE

HUMEAU

“Proposal for resuscitating prehistoric creatures” sets up the rebirth of cloned creatures, their wandering and their sound epic.

They are seeking to evolve in our contemporary era.

The designer, who became the heroine of a quasi-mystic epic journey, aims at resuscitating the sound of prehistoric creatures by

reconstructing their vocal tract. This is problematic from the scientific point of view: since the vocal tract is made of soft tissue, it does not fossilise. The only things that have been preserved through time are

the surrounding bones. The inner parts have to be redesigned.

For more than a year Marguerite Humeau has been discussing with palaeontologists, zoologists, veterinarians, engineers, explorers,

surgeons, ear and throat specialists, and radiologists.

Humeau had to overcome the difficulty of telling history, and prehistory; and also to create a work from non-existent, inaccessible,

or lost data. Design, fiction, science, speculations and phantasms serve the project ambition. Advices from experts as well as predictions are used to craft the roars of the new creatures.

The epic, as real as fantasised, gives birth to three semi-real roaring creatures: a Mammoth Imperator (-4,5 MYA), an Entelodont aka

Terminator Pig (-25 MYA), and an Ambulocetus “Walking whale” (-50MYA).

PART OF:

POLITIQUEFICTION

CURATED BY ALEXANDRA MIDAL

CITE DU DESIGN SAINT ETIENNE- FRANCE11/05/2013- 06/01/2013

Collaborators:

Sound Design & Artificial Intelligence: Association Phonotonic (Julien Bloit)

Sound Design collaborator: Charles Goyard

3D modelling: Hong Yeul Eom,Clifford Sage, Ben Penna

Video art direction: Ben Penna

“The Infinite Odyssey” book design: Ghazaal Vojdani

PROPOSAL FOR RESUSCITATING PREHISTORIC CREATURESIN POLITIQUE FICTION EXHIBITION

CURATOR: ALEXANDRA MIDALINSTALLATION VIEW, IMAGE CREDIT: FELIPE RIBON

PROPOSAL FOR RESUSCITATING PREHISTORIC CREATURESENTELODONT “HELL PIG”, MAMMOTH IMPERATOR,

AMBULOCETUS “WALkING WHALE”INSTALLATION VIEW (3D), IMAGE CREDIT: BEN PENNA

MAMMOTH IMPERATOR, -4,5M YEARS AGOAPRIL 2012

530L X 366H X 100W CMRESONANCE CAVITIES, LARYNX WITH VOCAL CORDS,

WINDPIPE, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

INSTALLATION VIEW, IMAGE CREDIT: FELIPE RIBON

ENTELODONT, “HELL PIG”, -25M YEARS AGOAPRIL 2012




AMBULOCETUS, “WALkING WHALE”, -50M YEARS AGOAPRIL 2012





430L X 405H X 150W CMRESONANCE CAVITIES

PROPOSAL FOR RESUSCITATING PREHISTORIC CREATURESIN POLITIQUE FICTION EXHIBITION

CURATOR: ALEXANDRA MIDALINSTALLATION VIEW, IMAGE CREDIT: FELIPE RIBON

THE INFINITE ODYSSEY

The project aims at resuscitating the sound of prehistoric creatures by recon-structing their vocal tract. This is problematic from the scientific point of view: since the vocal tract is made of soft tissue, it does not fossilise. The only things

that have been preserved through time are the surrounding bones. The inner parts have to be redesigned.

For more than a year Marguerite Humeau has been discussing with palaeon-tologists, zoologists, veterinarians, engineers, explorers,

surgeons, ear and throat specialists, and radiologists.

The project investigates the frontier of scientific fact and designed fiction. Humeau has goneas far possible using scientific fact (see documents).

The shortfalls or gaps inknowledge were filled in through articulate specula-tions; designed solutions to theproblems left by nature and decay.

The scientific evidence runs parallel to the rumours, fears and fictions.Advices from experts as well as predictions are used to craft the roars of the

new creatures.

The recreated beasts have adopted soft tissue from their living descendants.A redesign of the larynx and vocal cords, windpipes of estimated length and

diameter,and a new, fresh artificial breathing.

The beasts are semi-real. They exist in a new time scale.

“Lucy” and “The Infinite Odyssey: Documents and Correspondence” are now part of the MoMA New York permanent collection.

MAMMOTH IMPERATOR

-4,5 Million Years Ago

DOC M.034THE REMNANTS I (MAMMUTHUS IMPERATOR)

MAMMOTH IMPERATOR SkELETON- NORTH AMERICA- 4,9 MYA-11 000 YA

DECEMBER 2010


530L X 366H X 100W CMRESONANCE CAVITIES, LARYNX WITH VOCAL CORDS, WIND-

PIPE, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

INSTALLATION VIEW (3D), IMAGE CREDIT: BEN PENNA




INSTALLATION VIEW, IMAGE CREDIT: STUART BAILES

DOC M.086— THE LIVING DESCENDANTS I (ELEPHAS MAXIMUS)

ASIAN ELEPHANT ORIGINAL CT SCANS, PROVIDED BY THE INSTITUTE OF ZOO AND WILDLIFE

RESEARCH, BERLIN FEBRUARY 2011

INkJET PRINT ON PAPER, 30 X 30 CM

DOC M.087—THE LIVING DESCENDANTS I (ELEPHAS MAXIMUS)

ASIAN ELEPHANT 3D RECONSTRUCTION FROM ORIGINAL CT SCANS,

PROVIDED BY THE IZW, BERLIN, FEBRUARY 2011


January 2011Meeting with Bernard

BuiguesExplorer- discovery of frozen

prehistoric creatures in Siberia

DOC M.088HELICOPTER TOUR ON GOOGLE EARTH V-SIBERIAN DREAM,

FEBRUARY 2011IMAGE CREDIT: GOOGLE EARTH

DOC M.035MilliOn Years Travellers—DiMa lifTeD in 1977, DeCeMber 2010iMage COurTesY: ria nOvOsTi

DOC M.035MILLION YEARS

TRAVELLERSDIMA LIFTED IN 1977,

DECEMBER 2010IMAGE COURTESY: RIA

NOVOSTI

DOC M.064SIBERIAN EXPLORATIONS

JANUARY 2011IMAGE CREDIT: BERNARD

BUIGUES

DOC M.064.4MilliOn Years Travellers—WOOllY rhinOCerOs, JanuarY 2011iMage CreDiT: bernarD buigues


TRAVELLERS—WOOLLY RHINOCEROS, JANUARY 2011

IMAGE CREDIT: BERNARD BUIGUES


TRAVELLERSLYUBA—40 000 YEARS


BUIGUES


TRAVELLERS“JARkOV” IN ICE BLOCk,


BUIGUES


TRAVELLERS“JARkOV” HEAD,JANUARY 2011

IMAGE CREDIT: BERNARD BUIGUES

DOC M.090FINALLY I WOULD GO BACk TO PREHISTORIC TIMES-

EXTRACTED VOCAL TRACT FROM ASIAN ELEPHANT 3D RECONSTRUCTION,

FEBRUARY 2011INkJET PRINT ON PAPER, 42 X 27 CM

DOC M.091FINALLY I WOULD GO BACk TO PREHISTORIC TIMES-

EXTRACTED VOCAL TRACT FROM ASIAN ELEPHANT 3D RECONSTRUCTION,

FEBRUARY 2011INkJET PRINT ON PAPER, 42 X 27 CM

March 2011Meeting with Martin

BirchallSurgeon- Larynx prosthetics

specialist, First larynx transplant in California in 2010

DOC M.089DESIGN LESSONS I

ASIAN ELEPHANT HYOID APPARATUS, FEBRUARY 2011

DRAWING ON PAPER (COPY), 42 X 29.7 CM

DOC M.098THE POSSIBILITY OF RESUSCITATING EXTINCT CREATURES —

CONVERSATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF PALAEONTOLOGY & STYLOHYOID 98HS038 OF A MAMMUTHUS

COLUMBI, MARCH 2011PRINTED EMAIL AND MARkER, 42 X 29.7 CM

DOC v.100Design lessOns ii- enCYClOpeDia pages (larYnx), MarCh 2011

DOC V.100DESIGN LESSONS II

ENCYCLOPEDIA PAGES (LARYNX), MARCH 2011

PHOTOCOPIED PAGES 4 PAGES, 42 X 29.7 CM

DOC V.100DESIGN LESSONS II

ENCYCLOPEDIA PAGES (LARYNX), MARCH 2011

PHOTOCOPIED PAGES 4 PAGES, 42 X 29.7 CM

‘MAMMOTH IMPERATOR’LARYNX WITH VIBRATING VOCAL CORDS, WINDPIPE

IMAGE CREDIT: STUART BAILES

AMBULOCETUS“Walking Whale”

-50 Million Years Ago

DOC W.105THE REMNANTS II

(AMBULOCETUS NATANS)-AkA “WALkING WHALE”PAkISTAN, INDIA,

50-48 MYANOVEMBER 2011

DOC W.107THE REMNANTS II

(AMBULOCETUS NATANS)-AkA “WALkING WHALE”PAkISTAN, INDIA,

50-48 MYADECEMBER 2011

DOC W.109—THE LIVING DESCENDANTS III (DELPHINUS DELPHIS)

COMMON DOLPHIN 3D RECONSTRUCTION FROM ORIGINAL CT DICOM IMAGES

PROVIDED BY D.R. kETTEN, WHOI COMPUTERIZED SCANNING AND IMAGING FACILITY, WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC

INSTITUTION, HTTP://CSI.WHOI.EDUFEBRUARY 2012


DOC W.111—THE LIVING DESCENDANTS II (PHOCOENA PHOCOENA)

HARBOUR PORPOISE 3D RECONSTRUCTION FROM ORIGINAL CT DICOM IMAGES

PROVIDED BY D.R. kETTEN, WHOI COMPUTERIZED SCANNING AND IMAGING FACILITY, WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC

INSTITUTION, HTTP://CSI.WHOI.EDUFEBRUARY 2012


ENTELODONT“Hell Pig”-25 Million Years Ago

DOC E.067THE REMNANTS III (HYAENODONTIDAE)

AkA “TERMINATOR PIG”EURASIA, AFRICA AND NORTH AMERICA, 45 MYA

JANUARY 2011

DOC E.068THE REMNANTS IV (ENTELODONTIDAE)

AkA “HELL PIG”SOUTH DAkOTA, WYOMING, 30 MYA,

JANUARY 2011

ENTELODONT, “HELL PIG”, -25M YEARS AGOAPRIL 2012




DOC H.114THE LIVING DESCENDANTS IV (SUS SCROFA)

WILD BOAR 3D RECONSTRUCTION FROM ORIGINAL CT SCANS, PROVIDED BY THE INSTITUTE OF ZOO AND WILDLIFE

RESEARCH, BERLIN, FEBRUARY 2012


DOC G.003THE POSSIBILITY OF RESUSCITATING EXTINCT CREATURES—

CONVERSATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF ANATOMYNOVEMBER 2010

PRINTED EMAIL AND MARkER, 42 X 29.7 CM

DOC G.102THE MISSING FOSSILS

AN ATTEMPT TO RE-DESIGN FOSSILS WHICH ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE EXISTED BUT HAVE NEVER BEEN FOUND,

APRIL 2011PREPARATORY WORk FOR FUTURE SYNTHESIS, 42 X 25 CM

LUCYAustralopithecus

-3,2 Million Years Ago

DOC H.078THE REMNANTS V

(AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFARENSIS)LUCY (AL 288-1) FOUND IN THE AFAR DEPRESSION, ETHIOPIA

(IMAGE FROM THE WIkIPEDIA ARTICLE)JANUARY 2011

DOC H.080THE REMNANTS V

(AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFARENSIS)LUCY (AL 288-1) FOUND IN THE AFAR DEPRESSION, ETHIOPIA

JANUARY 2011

DOC h.077The living DesCenDanTs v (hOMO sapiens)hOMO sapiens vOCal TraCT 3D reCOnsTruCTiOn frOM Original CT sCans, JanuarY 2011

DOC H.077THE LIVING DESCENDANTS V

(HOMO SAPIENS)HOMO SAPIENS VOCAL TRACT 3D RECONSTRUCTION FROM

ORIGINAL CT SCANS, JANUARY 2011INkJET PRINT ON PAPER, 25 X 27 CM

DOC H.077THE LIVING DESCENDANTS V

(HOMO SAPIENS)HOMO SAPIENS VOCAL TRACT 3D RECONSTRUCTION FROM

ORIGINAL CT SCANS, JANUARY 2011INkJET PRINT ON PAPER, 25 X 27 CM

LUCY, AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFARENSIS, -3,2M YEARS AGOJULY 2011

COLLECTION: MOMA NEW YORkRESONANCE CAVITIES, LARYNX WITH VOCAL CORDS,


INSTALLATION VIEW, IMAGE CREDIT: STUART BAILES

TRAILER & SOUND(vimeo)

https://vimeo.com/42046247



PROPOSAL FOR RESUSCITATING PREHISTORIC CREATURES

is part ofPOLITIQUE FICTION

CURATED BY ALEXANDRA MIDAL@ CITE DU DESIGN

SAINT ETIENNE- FRANCE11/05/2013- 06/01/2013