EUR

FrankenFarm

FrankenFarm is a growing collection of things made by combining two contrasting ideas into one.

The Idea

Every FrankenFarm starts with contrast.

Two things that do not obviously belong together are pushed into one form. The difference between them is what makes the combination interesting.

The result can be strange, but it should still be clear enough that you understand what went into it.

FrankenFarm cat and duck characters explore contrasting ideas in the Trees, Rivers & UFOs creative workshop.

FrankenFarm cat and duck characters sit beside creature sketches in the Trees, Rivers & UFOs workshop.

FrankenFarm cat and duck characters study an open book of hybrid creature ideas.

FrankenFarm cat and duck compare contrasting traits at a creative workshop chalkboard.

The Mix

The combination has to work as one thing.

We start with things people recognise, find the contrast between them, then work out which parts of each should survive.

Things move, disappear and change until the two sides stop feeling stuck together and start feeling like one idea.

The cat and duck examine model parts beside sketches on a workbench.

The cat and duck inspect a two-headed cat-and-duck prototype.

The cat and duck assemble a hybrid creature on the workbench.

The cat and duck refine a green creature with a cat head and duck bill.

The Results

FrankenFarm is not limited to animals.

A rabbit and a fish can become one creature. Bacon and ice cream can belong in the same experiment. Everyday objects, materials, food, characters and other familiar things can all be pulled into it.

There is no fixed category. If the contrast creates something interesting, it can enter FrankenFarm.

Cat and duck characters gather around a two-headed Quackcat in the FrankenFarm workshop.

FrankenFarm characters experiment with food around a mixing bowl in the workshop.

FrankenFarm characters examine a small robot on the workshop table.

FrankenFarm characters explore an idea with a glowing light bulb in their curiosity lab.

The World

Some FrankenFarm ideas stay as drawings. Others become physical objects, puppets, clothing, art, films or experiments.

Once something works, we like seeing what happens when it leaves the page and enters the wider Trees, Rivers & UFOs world.

Sometimes that is where it gets stranger.

A close-up of a sketchbook page featuring a hand-drawn concept illustration of a 'moctopus' combining a mouse and octopus design, with the text '5 LEGS SIMPLE CURIOUS FRIENDLY WEIRD WORKS ?'.

Handmade purple Moctopus with five tentacles on a workshop table for the Trees, Rivers & UFOs FrankenFarm.

Woman wearing a sweatshirt with the purple Moctopus embroidered on the chest for Trees, Rivers & UFOs FrankenFarm.

Purple five-legged Moctopus in the street as part of the Trees, Rivers & UFOs FrankenFarm world.