Ew, Gross!!!

What is Ew, Gross?

2010-05-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

Ew, Gross! is a circus of ugly, bizarre, and under-rated animals who rarely see the spotlight. It consists of a performance and demonstration led by the ringleader (Lauren Hemphill) along with a cast of highly stylized animated animal characters. Ew, Gross! is a senior thesis project developed by Lauren, a double-major in both the Biomedical Art Department and the Technology Integrated Media Environment in the Cleveland Institute of Art’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program.

Project Statement: Animals within ecosystems that are perceived as ‘cute’ are often favored more in conservation practices as compared to animals who are perceived as ‘ugly’ or ‘undesirable.’ It is far easier to obtain funding and sympathy for the cuddly Panda than the Olm, an eyeless cave-dwelling salamander. As such, a great number of strange animals never reach the public eye. Through the experience of multimedia program design, the attendees’ attention will shift away from more common conservation mascots, and they will come to realize that the ugly, gross, and dangerous are worth our attention as well.

Alexis the Spiny Newt

2010-04-25T22:04:00.001-07:00

Up next we have for you an amphibian with a vicious defense
A fair warning she will supply to those who wish her harm.
Encounter more than a black eye for ignoring her alarm.

All the way from the province of Zhejiang in China...

Common name: Chinhai Spiny Newt

Scientific Name: Echinotriton chinhaiensis

Location: Zhejiang Province, China

Diet: invertebrates such as earthworms, small mollusks and ground beetles

Did you know?:

Sharp, elongated ribs project through skin when grasped

Ribs pass through enlarged glands on sides of body and painful skin secretions are injected into the mouths of would-be predators

Under threat, the body is flattened and curled up, hands and tail raised, revealing red warning markings

Didn't Make it to the event? Check out the trading cards here!

Alexis the Spiny Newt Trading Cards

2010-04-25T22:04:00.000-07:00

Didn't make it to the event?
Well who are we to keep you from enjoying these awesome trading cards?
Click on each image to see it larger!

Gary the Gharial

2010-04-25T21:56:00.000-07:00

When I met this performer, he was hunting in a river in India.
I had never seen a creature with a mouth so long and thin.
Weighing in a 400 pounds...
Measuring 23 feet in length...
I give you one of the largest of all crocodiles...

Common name: Gharial

Scientific Name: Gavialis gangeticus

Location: Rivers of India, Nepal, Pakistan

Diet: mostly fish, sometimes frogs and insects

Did You know?:

Thin snout has low resistance in water for quick snatching of fish

Lay the largest eggs of any crocodilian species

Bulbous growth on end of snout acts as a vocal resonator and as a visual signal to females

Has 106 to 110 teeth in the elongated snout

Can reach up to 23 ft. in length and weigh up to 1,000 lbs.

Didn't Make it to the event? Check out the trading cards here!

Gary the Gharial Trading Cards

2010-04-25T21:48:00.000-07:00

Didn't make it to the event?
Well who are we to keep you from enjoying these awesome trading cards?
Click on each image to see it larger!

Sydney the Southern Cassowary Trading Cards

2010-04-25T21:34:00.001-07:00

Didn't make it to the event?
Well who are we to keep you from enjoying these awesome trading cards?
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Sydney the Southern Cassowary

2010-04-25T21:34:00.000-07:00

Without furthur ado, I would like to show you
the six-foot-tall Australian ninja
With toenails like daggers.
The 3rd larget bird on Earth
She swims but cannot fly...

Didn't Make it to the event? Check out the trading cards here!

Bertha the Blobfish

2010-04-25T21:17:00.001-07:00

Our first entertainer hails from the deep waters off the coast of Tasmania
She's a fish no one would dream of eating.
She's gooey, she's slimy, she's bizarre...

Common name: Blobfish

Scientific name: Psychrolutes marcidus

Location: off the coasts of Australia and Tasmania

Diet: Sea Urchins and mollusks

Did you know?:

Found at ocean depths of 2625 ft.

Lack a gas swim bladder found in most fish to keep them afloat

Gelatinous flesh is slightly less dense than surrounding water, keeping them from being compressed by crushing force of deep sea water

Float in place waiting for a meal to come by with little or no effort exerted in hunting prey

Didn't Make it to the event? Check out the trading cards here!

Bertha the Blobfish Trading Cards

2010-04-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

Didn't make it to the event?
Well who are we to keep you from enjoying these awesome trading cards?
Click on each image to see it larger!

Damien the American Burying Beetle Trading Cards

2010-04-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

Didn't make it to the event?
Well who are we to keep you from enjoying these awesome trading cards?
Click on each image to see it larger!

Damien the American Burying Beetle

2010-04-25T20:56:00.000-07:00

I’d like you to meet...
a creature found right here in Ohio
a sinister scavenger
a peculiar parent
his young are born from the dead of others...

Common name: American Burying Beetle

Scientific Name: Nicrophorus americanus

Location: Ohio, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma

Diet: Carrion(dead animals)

Did you know?:

Strong fliers, moving as far as 1.5 miles in one night

Highly unusual for an insect, both the male and female take part in raising the young

Helps clean up the environment by eating the dead bodies of animals

Orange-colored mites found on body help keep beetles and carcasses clean of microbes and fly eggs

Didn't Make it to the event? Check out the trading cards here!

The Cast of 'Ew Gross'

2010-04-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

The Cast of 'Ew Gross'
Click on each image to find out more about the ugly, gross, and under-rated animals we share our world with.

Lyle the Aye Aye Trading cards

2010-04-25T19:35:00.001-07:00

Didn't make it to the event?
Well who are we to keep you from enjoying these awesome trading cards?
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Lyle the Aye Aye

2010-04-25T19:06:00.000-07:00

Now let me introduce to you an odd mammal with an equally unusual eating habit.
the locals in Madagascar believe he is the messenger...of DEATH
with ears of a bat, monstrous yellow eyes, skeletal fingers
and teeth that never---stop---growing...

Common name: Aye Aye

Scientific name: Daubentonia madagascariensis

Location: Madagascar

Diet: nuts, grubs, fruits, nectar, seeds, and fungi

Did you know?:

The only primates thought to use echolocation to find prey

Locals in Madagascar believe Aye Ayes to be messengers of death

Similar to squirrels, the Aye Aye’s teeth never stop growing because gnawing on wood causes them to be worn down

One long, slender finger for retrieving grub from inside holes in trees

Largest nocturnal primate in the world!

Didn't Make it to the event? Check out the trading cards here!

Thank you!

2010-04-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

To all the folks who made this circus possible, Thank you so much!

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History (their site)

for collective knowledge of the strange and use of Kahn Hall for the BFA circus event

Joel Alpern (Director of Exhibits at CMNH)

coordinator and BFA project committee member

Carin Miller (Director of Education at CMNH)
coordinator and script editor

Steve Misencik (Exhibit Designer at CMNH)
event lighting

Nancy Howell (Docent Coordinator at CMNH)

for allowing me to come in and observe her classes

Lauren Hemphill (her site)

content developer and writer, character designer, animator, costume designer/fabricator, ringleader

Chadd Sand (his site)

Animation production colourist

Anthony Zart (his site)

Graphic Designer for trading cards, posters, and tickets

Samm Haney (her site)

Wig Stylist and script consultant

Thanks for all of your support and guidance throughout the development of the circus!

Joel Alpern

for trusting me to make a project worthy of being a part of CMNH!

Amanda Almon

for trusting that I was capable of pulling this all together!

Kristen Baumlier

Megan Ehrhart

thanks for your unwavering enthusiasm for the strange!

Sarah Paul

Coming Soon

2010-03-06T18:28:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, gather round
for a circus most profound!
To those who fear the odd and strange,
a warning here must be arranged.

They may be ugly, but hear me out;
these are critters we can't do without.

Ew, Gross!!!

What is Ew, Gross?

Alexis the Spiny Newt

Alexis the Spiny Newt Trading Cards

Gary the Gharial

Gary the Gharial Trading Cards

Sydney the Southern Cassowary Trading Cards

Sydney the Southern Cassowary

Bertha the Blobfish

Bertha the Blobfish Trading Cards

Damien the American Burying Beetle Trading Cards

Damien the American Burying Beetle

The Cast of 'Ew Gross'

Lyle the Aye Aye Trading cards

Lyle the Aye Aye

Thank you!

*Coming Soon*

Coming Soon