Tuesday, 5 March 2013

Story Creation.

As I am interested in this subject of Un-canny, I took the time to write a short story using the basis of my 300 word proposal and expanding.

This story isn't particularly perfect and i think a lot could be changed. I think it includes un-canny elements and this is the goal I set out to achieve. The story actually derived from a dream I had about a man who had the face of a goat and this scared me so I carried it out in to a story where the supposed antagonist takes the shape of a huge man with the face of a goat.

Don't Pay Homage To The Goat Man


Lucille wakes with a jolt. Her whole body is covered in sweat yet she feels so cold. Lying in bed a little longer she then decides to get up looking at the clock that flashes on 3:13 am, too early to get dressed she decides, too early to do anything. 
She opens the curtains and looks out in to blackness. A cool breeze touches the back of her neck, twisting slowly she sees a door leading in to a corridor, “Where did you come from?” she says strangely enticed by it, stepping forward she slowly walks in to it.

The corridor seems cool and smells of damp. She touches the grey bland wall, a fine layer of dust remains on her fingertips. Mesmerized by this she barely hears the faint playful laughing.                                                                                                                                         Looking up Lucille sees a red door, walking further she looks back to see the door she came through missing. In a trance like state she feels herself floating further and further to the red door unable to stop, faster and faster she seems to drift towards the blood red portal. Panicking she tries to cling to the walls but her fingers grip nothing, screaming she closes her eyes as the door opens in to blackness and she is plunged in with an almighty push.

Looking up she sees a figure crumpled on the floor. Gasping she pushes herself up crawling to a wall away from the figure, she soon realizes she’s in a small, square, dimly lit, grey room, no windows no doors, not even a drab of colour. Feeling the walls she looks for an exit point.
“Lucille”, a strange voice whispers.
Spinning around she looks for the source of the sound, “Lucille” it repeats.
Groaning she realizes the sound could have only come from the body; stepping forward but keeping her distance she inspects the corpse. Its body blends in with the floor and it lays naked, its legs are broken and intertwined together tied in barbed wire. Its fingers, long and twisted are individually broken. Lucille looks away in disgust.
“Where am I?” she questions to herself.

Looking back at the corpse she screams when its face is propped up looking at her. Its eyes blinded by a rag its mouth lolled open its teeth like tombstones twisted in to a snarl. The thing begins to sniff loudly. Lucille backs against the wall holding her breath so it can’t hear her, she sees its fingers snap in to place every one of them groaning and clicking, tapping the floor in a spasm.  A small moan escapes from her, the thing freezes and looks in her direction, it then begins to move dragging its legs arching its back. A wicked dry laugh escapes from it mocking her.
“Please no!” she screams moving along the wall. The thing twists and writhes a long grey tongue flapping out of its mouth flicking at her.
“Give us a bit bitch!” it spits. “It’s been so long!” It wickedly laughs at her again. Scrambling against the wall kicking her feet out she sees two large hands come out of the floor and grab the thing by its ankles; the corpse begins to writhe and moan in frustration.
“Be quiet you disgrace” a voice roars, “Silence those tears women! Or I will release him!” the voice demands.
Lucille freezes in horror. The room lights up. The corpse still writhes, held down by the large hands protruding from the floor.
“You will do our bidding or I will release this monstrosity”
“What’s happening!” she screams.
“Your in the tomb of the almighty one, you’re a simple mind that will complete a simple task”
“I-I-I oh god” Lucille stammers sweating in horror.
The corpse reaches out towards her, stretching its long hands, its tongue dragging on the floor.
“Why am I here?”
“You know why you’re here...but you wont accept it, you deserve to be here…he’s coming Lucille, he wants to meet you”
“Who…who wants to meet me?”
The voice goes silent.
“WHO!” she shouts,
“Our punisher, our King, children’s nightmares, women’s pains and men’s illnesses, the Goat man”.
The room begins to shake, the corpse starts to laugh and grope the floor, “He comes, he comes, and I feel the pain, I FEEL THE PAIN”.
“Lucille you will listen to us, you will kill you’re loved ones, one by one.”
“You insane! I will do no such thing”
“When you see his eyes…you will”
The room vibrates, Lucille falls to the floor, the corpse lays motionless, she hears a roar. Looking around the room falls silent. Everything seems to go back to normal until she looks up and sees the eyes.

“I will do your bidding” she chants, smiling.



It doesn't match with the works of Dino's and Jake Chapman but when I was writing this story their work, especially Hell (1999) came in to mind. Hell (1999) is 'a table top tableau, peopled with 30,000 remodelled, 2 inch high figures many of them dressed in Nazi uniforms performing acts of cruelty.' - White Cube. My story above is about the main actress suppressing her memories of a past event. She is now being put forward for this event and punished

Jake and Dinos make sculptures, prints and installations that examine religion, punishment, torture and morality. 
Their work often includes war scenes with sculptures especially Nazi soldiers torturing. 
One piece of art work I like is in fact Hell (1999). The amount of pain staking detail is clear to see. Everything is of miniature size but it tells a big story. There is plenty to see but so much to take in, its the kind of work that would keep me looking at it for ages. Unfortunately this work was destroyed in a fire but the artists said they would create something else bigger and better. 
I found a video that examined Hell. It is a very overpowering piece and I would have loved to have seen it. 

Webpage http://whitecube.com/artists/jake_dinos_chapman/

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