Illustration from 鈥淧ursuit鈥� in Aliens versus Predator: Annual #1
Dr Rachael Grew
The main picture on the right pages shows Eloise, an android-alien-human hybrid, as she battles to protect human-alien symbiotes and the alien xenomorphs themselves.
Eloise is a perfect example of a creature that blurs the lines between human and non-human bodies. My research explores how these transgressive bodies are depicted in visual culture, where they frequently appear as monsters. These figures challenge our normative ideas of what the ‘human’ is, what the human body should be, look like, and/or do, and they also raise questions about our relationships with non-human organisms and entities.
In a world where humans make just 0.01% of life on Earth, these ‘monstrous’ bodies allow us to think about how we share space with other life forms, and query why a bodily interconnection between them is portrayed as undesirable and even horrifying.
I am currently examining transgressive bodies in the work of the artist, designer, and writer Leonor Fini, who habitually combines human bodies with those of animals, plants, and even fish.
Image credit: Illustration of Eloise from “Pursuit”, Aliens versus Predator: Annual #1, 1999, Milwaukie OR: Dark Horse comics. Written by Ian Edginton, design and illustration by Mel Rubi, Rob Hunter, David Stewart, and Sean Knot.