Why Opera
Since I chose to create a horror character set against the backdrop of Cantonese Folk, I wanted to incorporate some well-known local elements to shape her image.
I happened to watch Demi-Haunted, a horror film about a opera performer, a kind of ghost that performs in life but continues to perform at night after death due to obsession.
Therefore, I immediately thought of Cantonese opera. Cantonese opera is one of the main categories of Chinese opera and originated in Guangdong Province in southern China. It is very popular in Chinese communities in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macao and Southeast Asia.
Why Paper Doll
Zhizha is a traditional craft in Hong Kong and is used as a sacrificial item for Taoist festivals, celebrations and funerals. It is usually made of bamboo as the framework and Paper on the outside, such as Paper dolls, paper houses, paper money, etc. It is believed that by burning them, all this can be passed on to the deceased.
Paper dolls are depicted as various characters, such as servants, children, and so on, and many legends have been passed down. For instance, when making paper dolls, one must not draw pupils; otherwise, the paper dolls will come back to life. There are also rumors that people would hold fake weddings for the deceased and paper dolls. Because of the legend and its nature for sacrificial purposes, paper dolls have been endowed with a very strong sense of horror and are very much in line with the uncanny Valley effect that I have studied.
Therefore, I want to design a terrifying character by combining Paper Dolls and elements of Cantonese opera
Mentionable Point
The face of the paper doll is the cover of the daily recommended album I played when writing my Blog. It’s Madra, the debut studio album of the Irish rock band NewDad. It’s very interesting and an accidental source of inspiration
Reference Board & Outcome
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