Research
We began this project by researching the game of chess. We looked up the moves and motives of each individual pieces to understand strategies and how each piece contributes to the whole game. We then started thinking about narratives we can create with the research we had just conducted. We decided to use Food chains and webs as our inspiration for the theme. It was fitting because there is an obvious hierarchy in the animal kingdom, where the progression up the food chain constitutes as pawn promotion.
Iterations
At first, I wanted to do reptiles versus sea creatures, but we were having trouble making them interact in a harmonious way. so then I started researching Marine reptiles. The food chains that I came across were not diverse enough to create contrast between the pieces. Also, it was hard to make the mechanics coincide with the moves of the chess pieces.
So then, I decided to focus on Arctic animals, because they interact with sea creatures more than any other animal group. This helped create a story line and a narrative for conflict between the two sides. the diverse food chains that I came across inspired my craft.
A lot of our brainstorming was done through video chat. We basically threw out a bunch of quick ideas before settling on this theme.
My side:
King- Polar Bear (male)
Queen- Polar Bear (female)
Bishop – Sea Lion
Knight – Arctic Bird
Rook – Walrus
Pawn – Penguin
Alex’s side:
King – Shark
Queen – Blue Whale
Bishop – Octopus
Knight – Seahorse
Rook – Swordfish
Pawn – Shrimp
Concept Statement
Our chess pieces were inspired by food webs and food chains. Just like in chess, we see a hierarchy of status in the natural world. After exploring several different groups of species, Alex decided to do sea animals. The ocean is an undiscovered territory, which makes it all the more exciting. The creatures that live in it have very interesting food webs that we could utilize to create a story. I decided to go with arctic animals that live on land and can also swim the ocean, where as Alex went with ones that are purely sea creatures. This contrast helped establish a clear conflict between the two sides. We picked animals with habits similar to the traditional chess pieces, considering; agility, movement patterns, hierarchy in the food chain, advantages and disadvantages.
Production
I wanted to create my pieces using illustrator, but in the beginning I was having trouble visualizing the different slit pieces so I started making them by hand. I drew out a penguin from all sides, and then I extracted it and cut the pieces up. Then, I created the pieces that would hold them together.
This strategy worked out pretty well with the penguins but I was having trouble making the more round animals like the seal and walrus. so for those, I used illustrator to draw it out, then I printed each individual pieces. With my distanced learning limitations, I was limited in the resources I could use. But I took it as an opportunity to perfect my craft.
Initially I wanted to use a tough and thick material to create my pieces, because when I did testing with paper, It was too flimsy and the paper construction didn’t make the pieces look completed. When I began cutting out the cardboard, I wasn’t able to cut it out seamlessly. so I switched gears towards black cardstock to eliminate the need for painting it later on.
I used illustrator to make the rest of the pieces and I combined them by inserting horizontal sticks through them.
Arctic Bird
Walrus
Polar Bears
Seal
Final
