After researching the world of fruit, I started to develop
my own ideas. To begin with I needed to consider the environments that each fruit
might be found to grow in. The brief had opened the concept to any conceivable idea,
provided that you gave reason behind your choice. New dimensions were able to
come into creation, uninhabitable environments became liveable, even new
countries could be made to suit that story of the fruit. Considering my
options, I decided that to design an entire world for the sake of a fruit
seemed slightly farcical, as I would be much rather spending my time designing
the fruit itself. It struck me that a fruit from a familiar habitat within
Earth’s eco-system was an easier concept to grasp rather than warping reality.
Er’ za
My first idea was the Er’ za – the name for which, I came up
on a whim, so please don’t judge. This fruit was to be found growing in the
Volcanoes of Hawaii and along the West Coast of America. To come up with the
basic design I researched the make-up of the plant – basic botany 101- such cycles
as respiration, transpiration, and guard cell functions to figure out how the
plant was to actually have any chance of survival.
The Er’za in my mind was scorched black by the heat of the
volcano, but still remained to a show red vine structure around the casing of
the fruit. A basic five petal structure that protected the precious fruit in
the centre, it therefore needed to have a thick heat resistant casing that was
able to withstand the temperature of such a hostile environment. The outer skin
of this casing had microscopic hairs that were responsible for catching the
moisture in the air. The fruit of the Er’za grew as one singular fruitlet in
the centre of the petal structure; it resembled the shape of a garlic, only
with a fuller body. The skin of the fruit would be jet black, but with a rich burgundy
red once cut into. Seeds would be scattered throughout the flesh similar to
that of a figs’. Within the fruit’s final stages of life it will begin to swell
until eventually exploding, scattering the seeds across the volcanoes cliff
face.
As the basic structure of the fruit was finally developed I
started to look into possibly functions of the fruit – what was it going to be
used for? I was drawn to the idea of it being used for tribal initiation, which
I later linked to Native Americans. Young warriors are giving the task of
acquiring the fruit of the Er’za by scaling the mountainside, to then return to
the shaman. The shaman would then brew the Er’za into something resembling a
tea. The warriors would drink the brew and undergo powerful hallucinations that
brought about the most frightening images that the human mind can conceive.
This would not only leave them paralysed for up to a week but would also cause
muscle cramps, incontinence, vomiting and in some cases death. Once the warrior have awoken from their
ordeal, they would no longer fear their enemies as they had already stood
before the gates of madness.
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