Character Development: Satyr & Faun
Rowan Dunn, Digital, 2024
Nimbus (a faun) and Stratus (a satyr) were some of the first beings I developed for this project. Designed to be partners, they challenge classical depictions of satyrs and fauns as hypersexualised, chaotic creatures. Instead, they are soft, vulnerable, and visibly queer.
Portraying them nude in natural settings references classical art, but also invites discomfort. Nudity here is not licentious; it is gentle, unashamed, and rooted in love. This imagery deliberately treads a fine line between the sacred and the profane, highlighting how queer bodies have historically been framed as both erotic and dangerous. By reframing these creatures with care, I work to unpick moral binaries and restore complexity and dignity to the monstrous.