THE ANIMAL OUTSIDE US ALL FURSUITING AND THE FURRY CULTURE 46 ORNAMENT 33.5.2010 Patrick R. Benesh-Liu 33_5_DeviantArtAnimals.7.Final.indd 46 9/2/10 5:38 PM THE ANIMAL OUTSIDE US ALL t is difficult to fathom today that only a few hundred years ago, the culture of North America was based not I around celebrities, reality TV shows, YouTube, and hip hop, but ceremonies, dances, the hunt, and the harvest. Prior to colonization, life centered around survival; there were few cities and roads, and certainly neither television nor computers to separate oneself from the environment. Housing was carved from a cliff, built of mud or stone, or formed from hides, with the trampled grass or dusty desert just a few feet outside the entrance. People dressed in the skins of animals, or from woven plant material, if that. They ornamented themselves in a wide variety of ways, utilizing bone, feathers, stones, and shells. They lived in such a fashion, although surely undergoing gradual changes, for millennia. Of course cultures were different in Europe and on the other populated continents of Africa, Asia, Australia, and HIGHLAND BULL by Deanna Larsson, of faux fur, upholstery foam, resin, 2009. South America. Each had their own traditions and rituals, which had up to some point in time worked for them. Then can their admirers, and detractors, but it is with the former the European settlers came to America, setting in motion a that emphasis should be placed. Between these admirers and radical series of changes that lead to the present day’s hip artists lies a mutual appreciation for the subject of the art, and hop and YouTube. it is here that new communities are not only being born, but Culture is continuously being made. As a resistant force, vigorously growing. One of the most striking examples is the cultures also age and fade away, slowly depleting the variety furry culture, and the interconnected web of offshoots in of the world. Some ancient cultures survive determinedly in which it resides. The first recorded expansion of the culture the world’s nooks and crannies. They are the color of ancient into the public eye came with the funny animal publication deep browns built upon for thousands of years in the dirt, forests Vootie in 1976. The transition from funny animals to furries is and plains of Mother Earth. Some cultures are just growing considered to have taken place in between the ending of the into adulthood ready to flourish; others are newborn pink, Vootie series in 1983 and a new publication, Rowrbrazzle, in possibly only a few hours or days old. 1984. After this point the furry culture would slowly grow It is in the Age of the Internet, not noteworthy for its glitz until increasing internet access allowed the fandom to connect, and sparkle but for the provision of near-instant international greatly expanding the community. communication, that new cultures are being born with It is not really possible to define exactly what is a “furry.” startling rapidity. If one looks deeper, there are vast hordes Like a spectrum, those who relate to the furry community cover of entities created or nurtured by the internet. Some will last as broad a range as people themselves. A wiki site created by for a relatively short time, but there will be those movements the furry community states at its most basic, “Someone who that sprout and take root in the medium that will be around says they are furry is generally expressing an interest in far longer. The thought that some of these upstarts may one day anthropomorphic animals and/or creatures” (http://en.wikifur. be as old as the ancient ceremonies and dances is more than com/wiki/Furry). It can be a lot more than that for many a little surreal, but also fascinating. The ceremonies and the people. It can also just be fun and games. dances were about food and rain and health. It was only after Whatever it may be for one furry or another, a common we established a buffer between ourselves and starvation that occurrence is the adoption of an anthropomorphic animal or we could entertain ourselves with new frivolities, like celebrities creature as an avatar or alter ego, called a fursona (yes, the and reality TV. combination of the words furry and persona). An artist might That is not all we have come up with though. The internet draw his or her own character, or be commissioned to draw is also home to a new generation of artists and craftspeople, someone else’s avatar. In this case, an avatar might be a who for the first time can view each other’s work, 24/7, proprietary character or an anthropomorphized version of sometimes just minutes after a piece is completed. So too one’s actual self. Since most internet forums and artist websites such as deviantart.com have a location for a profile picture, THE GOLDEN BEAST by Shannon Heartwood, of faux fur, cast resin, 2010. people will post their avatar drawing to represent themselves All photographs courtesy of the artists. in the virtual world. 47 ORNAMENT 33.5.2010 33_5_DeviantArtAnimals.7.Final.indd 47 9/2/10 5:38 PM but finally I discovered the keyword ‘fursuit’ and it was a real kick to realize that other people out there not only made animal costumes but did so professionally,” she relates. In 2005 she made her first fursuit head. Almost entirely self-taught, Larsson learned the art of costume-making through free internet tutorials, and much trial and error. An invaluable summer as a fire lookout observer in 2006 offered her some time to improve her techniques, where she made great strides in her work. “I made a great deal of mistakes and wasted a lot of time and effort along the way, but I’ve been told my style is very distinct to myself. Which I suppose is the payoff for not learning under anyone else. Every artist wants their art style to be distinct and memorable, and to reflect who they are.” Larsson’s interest in craft preceded her animal costuming. Coming from a family of handymen and women, Larsson’s mother sewed clothes and her father hammered together a dollhouse. As a whole, Larsson’s extended family shared this trait. “You’d have to make something with your hands or you’d go HYENA HEAD by Deanna Larsson, of faux fur, mad,” Larsson laughingly remarks. upholstery foam, resin, 2009. The problem was in finding a medium DEANNA LARSSON. that called to her. “I actually had my art RED XIII by Deanna Larsson, of faux fur, business before the costumes. I just was not upholstery foam, resin, 2007. very successful at finding the item I wanted For some creative furries, the act of making physical costumes is a natural extension, or alternate expression, of drawing anthropomorphic animals. Not that the creation of animal costumes is restricted to the furry community; indeed, one can say it is an ancient practice. Animal dances, with their accompanying regalia, have been performed in North America for thousands of years. The eagle costume is probably the most ubiquitous archetype of Native American animal costume, along with the bison. Nor is the use of animal costumes for ritual confined to North America; it is a global phenomenon present in many indigenous cultures. Within the furry community, the common lexicon for this activity is fursuiting. This can refer variously to the making of costumes or the wearing of them. Regardless of the precedents for modern animal costumes, this newest reincarnation has stimulated a thriving business. Canadian artist Deanna Larsson of Beetlecat Originals has always been interested in costuming, but did not make them until relatively recently. In 2002 when the costume-making bug bit her, she searched online for tutorials on costuming. Doing so opened up a whole new world. “It took a fair bit of searching, 48 ORNAMENT 33.5.2010 33_5_DeviantArtAnimals.7.Final.indd 48 9/2/10 5:38 PM to make and that would sell well. I did a lot of papier-mâché. Before that was painting on rocks. I dabbled in polymer clay. Lots of things trying to find my niche. That’s why discovering that people made animal costumes professionally was such a happy shock. It was exactly what I’d been searching for.” Larsson’s costumes are characterful and colorful. Running the gamut of all sorts of animals, both real and exotic as well as the imaginary, her highland bulls and white wolves exude a friendliness that makes them seem almost human. With hyenas, red pandas and kudus represented among her many costumes, Larsson obviously has an extensive knowledge of the animal kingdom. “I’m an animal nut,” she proclaims. “Always have been. I love nature and wildlife. I went to college for biological sciences and my original idea coming out of high school was to be a person that looked at trees in the forest or went to a little island and counted bird eggs. I have a bookshelf full of animal science and nature world books.” Larsson’s zoological background extends to domestic animals as well. “I was raised on a farm and was in 4-H growing up where I raised and named and trained calves and lambs,” she adds. “Not quite ‘raised by wolves’, but I have great admiration and respect for animals. I’ve watched them play and seen how they move.” Some of her work DREAM THE SHEEP by Karen Dawson, of faux fur, MANA BEAST from Super Nintendo game Secret upholstery foam, plastazote foam, resin, paint, of Mana by Karen Dawson; of faux fur, fleece, varnish, glue, modeling putty, latex, thread, upholstery foam, glue, polyfill, plastic, acrylic elastic, 2010.