GALYDÁR - A BRIEF DIVE INTO CRYPTOZOOLOGY AND FOLK HORROR
Inspired by both movies, horror games and tales that fall into the "folk horror" subgenre, my first semester at the Hungarian University Of Fine Arts started with the idea of
the Galydár.
Sketches of hands and feet, resembling a hybrid between a wolf, a deer and a human
I drifted away a little from drawing on paper for the next steps. Using AI-powered image generators, I was able to give birth to "photos" of the creature. Giving the AI the proper descriptions, the outcome had a resemblance of found footage horror content.
The AI-generated sightings of the galydár
I also made maps that show the area where the creature was said to have been seen. These are also made-up, they do not refer to any existing location.
Maps of the area that the galydár might inhabit
In Navajo culture, there are creatures called skin-walkers. They are a type of witch who have the ability to turn into, possess or disguise themselves as an animal.
The recent fame of internet horror gave skin-walkers a new ability: now they can mimic humans, be it their voice changing or their physical appearance.
This gave me the idea of creating portraits (similar to forensic sketches) of people who might be the galydár in disguise.
Portraits of the uncanny suspects
One more thing I created was a sound recording, through which you can hear the sounds of the galydár. I recorded some sounds with my phone, but also used mating calls of different mammals I found on the internet.
Part of the installation, MKE
Made at the Visual Arts Department, Hungarian University of Fine Arts, Budapest, Hungary.
Consultant: Szigeti G Csongor @szigeticsongor
