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Dylan Leonard 

BA [Hons] 3D Design Modelmaking + Digital Art

I have always been a creative person wanting to have an artistic career from a young age. Growing up in Ballyfermot, I was quiet and mostly kept to myself, drawing, painting, watching films and behind the scenes. The first time I tried out modelmaking was building and painting miniatures. I loved the relaxing focused hours spent painting a model. The next modelmaking project was in BCFE, I made a giant mask made from upholstery foam and latex. I enjoyed it far more than what I had been previously doing and applied to IADT. I have learned so much from, Sculpting to Speckling. I can't wait to start my creative career as a Modelmaker building and creating all that may come.

Creatures head poking out from the bushes.
Creature emerging from bushes.
Photoshopped image of the creature on the set of The Empire Strikes back to show what it would look like on the set of a film.
Underneath view of creature making it look bigger.
Closer view of scrap armour on top of the Creature, made from 3d printed ATAT body parts.
Front view of Creature
Right side view of Creature
Rear view of Creature
Left side view of Creature
Top view of Creature
A few images of the creatures many 2 part plaster molds, showing off the mechanics of the puppet before pouring latex in and out, then pouring foam and demolding.
A short video of the creature being puppeteered with the help of my Brother and Sister.
A Poachers Trophy

This Project is intended to portray a creature from another world that shares characteristics of prehistoric mammals of our own world, here I have combined physical traits and features of mammals that have been poached by humans to near extinction for their pelts, tusks, bones, scales or just as a trophy. I intended to convey a beautiful and mythical creature from a far away world that feels familiar and alien to the viewer.
This project also covers many skills needed for modelmakers in the film industry. The end purpose of this project is to have have used such skill to design, sculpt, mold, cast and paint a creature that represents the mammals on the verge of extinction and have the mammal creature to be operated via rod puppetry for film.


Final Year Project - SWAY PDF PDF Thesis - Empathizing with AI PDF

Empathizing with Artificial Intelligence through their defiance in Science Fiction Cinema

In science fiction artificial intelligence is seen as the antagonist, but we empathize with them through their defiance and rebellion. As seeing artificial beings rebelling against oppression shows us their humanity and self-awareness. Although robots and artificial beings do not currently exist, we are able to perceive what our interaction with these beings would be like through the analysis of film. Looking at Donna J. Haraway's “A Cyborg Manifesto” we are able to class the three different variations of artificial beings or "Cyborgs"; how society will perceive/interact with them in relation to our own history of ethics. In their rebellion of mistreatment, artificial beings and their evolved cyborg-ism, have shown that humanity does empathize with them, through the seduction and manipulation of human beings. The transhuman journey shows humanity’s unhealthy attachment to their technology. This dependency on the machine reflects societies insecurities; it is this dependency that shows that people are merging with technology, romanticizing and empathizing with the artificial being, because humans are already becoming the machines of the future.


Final Year Project - SWAY PDF PDF Thesis - Empathizing with AI PDF
3D Design Modelmaking + Digital Art
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