Ancient Alien (Fortune Teller Arcade Display)

Rose Swincer · March 2016

Hello fellow creatives and E.T. enthusiasts! Im Rose, 25, based in Adelaide South Australia.

Last year in my final year of study (majored in prop making) I decided to go big and make not only an (animatronic) Alien bust (23 inches) but a whole 2 metre high display as well. It took a whole year from concept to completion and a lot of the advanced processes I went though making this were mostly new to me. I was heavily inspired by the Ancient Astronaut Theory and wanted to mix a stylised Mesopotamian look with the structure of an old Fortune Teller Arcade Game Machine (i.e. the movie big). Which also meant that i could get away with just making a bust! After initially making the display, I created the concept for my Alien and started sculpting it in Wed Clay, went onto making the biggest mould I’ve ever made, and then I made a inner fibreglass structure and then cast the silicone over the top of it. The Animatronic mouth was the hardest part, but i had a friend help me out because i had never done anything remotely mechanical I’m my life! I should also credit the stan winston school because i never would have completed this if it weren’t for their amazing tutorials. Overall Im incredibly proud of this piece and I’m also happy to say it sold!