ROBOT

Robot was commissioned by filmmaker, Colin West McDonald for his adaptation of the comic short We Were Not Made For This World, written by Paul Hornschemeier. The film was shot on location at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.

2014

Mixed Media: paper, canvas, boning, and paint.

Actress: Tina Matthews

photographed by Colin West McDonald, 2014.

cwestmcdonald.com

We Were Not Made For This World

FLASHLIGHT MAN

Flashlight Man is a silent, ominous villain that taunts his victims in feverish nightmares. The Flashlight Man mask was commissioned by writer / director Ben Cox of Trailblazer productions to appear in his short film Proximity to be released in the Fall/Winter 2015.

2015.

Mixed media: deerskin, LEDs and wiring, aluminum, eyelets, and canvas.

photographed by Colin West McDonald, 2015.

MOTHER

Mother is a character first conceived for the 2011 Highball in Columbus, OH. This character was inspired by a Faun Fables song titled A Mother and a Piano. In the song, there is a larger-than-life mother who piles her young onto her back to transport them to safety. Matthews imagined them holding onto her giant braids for stability.

2011

Mixed Media: sheep's wool, chain, wire, plaster, canvas, and boning.

Model: Maika Carter.

photographed by Colin West McDonald, 2014.

MUSKOX

The Muskox was created in 2009 for an annual event called {Re}Happening that takes place each Spring in Black Mountain, NC. The main concept of the performance was to transport seeds in packets of soil so that future life could be sustained. This character is a teacher and storyteller.

2009

Mixed Media: deer rawhide, cowhide, sheep's wool, wire, plaster and fabric.

Model: Carlylee Evans

photographed by Colin West McDonald, 2014.

Detail of rawhide jawbone.

RAM

Ram is the character that inspired a series of anthropomorphic creatures for Matthews. Ram is a ghostly songwriter and storyteller, originally part of a performance piece called Tibia created by the experimental group Queen Mae and the Bells.

2006

Mixed Media: wire, synthetic hair, fabric, plaster, deerskin, and wood.

Model: Tina Matthews

photographed by Colin West McDonald, 2014.

HORSE

Horse is a character first conceived during Matthews' 2012 artist residency at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Horse was featured in a performance called Denizen, a multimedia collaborative performance for the biennial Zero1 Festival in San Jose. The character is a time-traveler who has returned to warn modern day creatures about the effect their current actions will have on the natural world of the future.

Denizen was created in collaboration with artists Eve Warnock and Colin West McDonald.

ARMADILLO

Armadillo was originally created for the 2011 Highball in Columbus, OH, where the costume won first place. This character is a nod to the artist's appreciation for the armadillo as a creature, and the strong influence that Jim Henson has had on her work as a costume designer.

2011

Mixed Media: fabric, foam, wire, plaster, LEDs, and wood.

Models: Lacey Elliston, Drew Combs.

photographed by Colin West McDonald, 2014.

COYOTE

Coyote was first conceived during Matthews' costume design residency at the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2012. Coyote was part of a piece called Denizen, performed in collaboration at the biennial festival called Zero1 in San Jose, CA. Coyote is a creator figure, and was shown bringing things into being with his puppetry.

Denizen was created in collaboration with artists Eve Warnock and Colin West McDonald.

MANDRILL

Mandrill was originally conceived for the 2010 Highball in Columbus, OH.

2010

Mixed Media: sheep's wool, deer rawhide, wire, and plaster.

Model: Maika Carter.

photographed by Colin West McDonald, 2014.