Riuva : Research Institute for Unicultural Visual Arts

DJ Spyhunter emailed me with his really cool Halloween Jack o’ Lanterns.

The practice of removing certain portions of the Cucurbitaceae Cucurbita’s epidermis and etching intricate patterns on its cortex layer is a strange custom of  the Union of Solar Energy and Free Nations. (If you’re an arts student, it just means that carving pumpkins is an American thing to do.) It’s not really done here in Singapore at all, so we islanders are very fascinated by this tribal custom.

The usual lanterns may be wickedly cool, but DJ’s (long lost brother of TJ?) special ones are fitting for an otaku household like his. Note that all the work seems to be done by his wife, lol.

The one on the left is Yoko from Gurren Lagann while right is obviously Konata, currently competing in the semis of Saimoe 2007 (Most Pointless Competition Ever). It’s interesting how the two differ greatly in terms of detail, which can be explained with the pictures below detailing the production process.

First, get an girl. You need a girl because men cannot really do stuff which require patience and skill. We are too busy doing more important things such as watching anime. You need a printout of the picture desired, of the correct size and with a sharp pin, poke the basic shape of the picture.

Next, with a sharp object, shave the tough outer layer of the pumpkin where you wish for light to shine through. The cortex consists of space-filling parenchyma cells which are very loosely packed and hence allow much light to pass through. You don’t really require the entire fruit wall hollowed out, because that will only reduce the amount of detail you can add. This is why the Yoko one is more simplistic.

The final product has to be emptied out of course for the candle to be placed inside.

Yoko has no mouth because it would be physically impossible to suspend a piece of pumpkin skin in mid-air, showing the limitations of the traditional method of sculpting. Her eyes look like Tripeman’s and that is a great thing.

Do go make your own anime pumpkins. I recommend Gintama characters like Gintoki.