Inspired by the year of the Monkey in the Chinese Zodiac, which spanned from February 8, 2016, to January 27, 2017, I embarked on a project to design a representation of Formosan macaques for the Bing-shen year. This project aims to raise awareness about the challenges faced by these primates, native to Taiwan's Shou-shan Mountain.
Formosan macaques, scientifically known asMacaca cyclopis, have been integral to Shou-shan's ecosystem. However, human actions,, including feeding by tourists and locals, has disrupted their natural behaviors. This has led to increased reliance on human food, resulting in heightened conflicts and aggressive behavior from the macaques, such as food snatching and home intrusions. Tragically, this has also sparked violent reactions from the community, including poisoning and physical attacks, causing the disappearance of around 200 macaques.
Conservation efforts are now focused on creating less disturbed habitats and discouraging human interactions like feeding and touching the macaques. This approach aims to decrease their dependence on humans and restore their natural foraging habits.
My design features the Chinese characters for Bing-shen on the feet of the Formosan macaques, reflecting the recurrence of the Year of the Monkey every 12 years within the 60-years sexagenary cycle. The model includes 24 nodes on the macaque's body, each representing a solar term of the Chinese lunar calendar. This not only allows dynamic movement in the design but also symbolizes the changing seasons and the passage of time. As a full cycle of 24 solar terms completes, it signifies the dawn of a new year.
This piece is crafted with the hope that it serves as a poignant reminder of the fleeting nature of time and inspires meaningful use of it in support of conservation efforts.
Note:
For improved flexibility, consider printing the composed tail model if the one-piece tail model proves difficult to bend.
To maintain quality, do not print models smaller than 86% of the original size, and maintain a layer resolution of 0.15mm.
Design Software - SketchUp
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