The Disappearing "Kun Peng" - Miniature Model of a Chinese Mythological Fish/Bird

《庄子·逍遥游》北冥有鱼，其名为鲲。鲲之大，不知其几千里也。化而为鸟，其名为鹏。鹏之背，不知其几千里也；怒而飞，其翼若垂天之云。是鸟也，海运则将徙于南冥即天池也。

An excerpt from the ancient Chinese scroll “Zhuangzi: Enjoyment in Untroubled Ease” describes two giant mythical creatures named “Kun” and “Peng”:

"In the Northern Ocean, there is a fish called the Kun. The Kun is so large that no one knows its exact size, perhaps spanning thousands of miles. It transforms into a bird known as the Peng. The Peng's back, again, is of an unknown size, possibly stretching thousands of miles; when it flies, its wings seem to cover the sky like clouds. The Peng soars up ninety thousand miles with one sweep of its wings, and reaches the Southern Ocean, a heavenly place, riding the waves."

(In this case, the Southern Ocean is a mythical place, not the real Southern Ocean.)

The mythical bird Peng is often portrayed as a creature of extraordinary proportions and significance, representing greatness, ambition, and freedom.

Not often mentioned is how the Kun fish turns into the Peng bird. In one version of the legends, the transformation of Kun into Peng is a captivating tale of ambition and perseverance. Kun, feeling confined in the Northern Ocean, yearns for freedom and seeks to transcend its aquatic existence. Learning of a magical potion (or herb) on a distant floating island, Kun sets out on a determined journey. Despite numerous failed attempts to leap onto the island, Kun refuses to give up. Finally, displaying remarkable ingenuity, Kun smacks into the island, turning it upside down and dropping the potion into its waiting mouth. The potion gives Kun the ability to transform into the magnificent Peng bird. With this newfound power, Kun commands not only the water but also the air. The Kunpeng becomes a mythical creature capable of unrestricted flight and boundless freedom.

Our miniature art piece depicts the story of this legendary transformation using some clever optical illusions. In this Instructables, we will turn the magnificent giants Kun and Peng into a small desktop display and mini flower pot.

References:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYfdQoR6GMY&ab_channel=EZLuck

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peng_(mythology)

Supplies

Stemless wine glass

Plastic water bottle (thicker than the opening of the wine glass)

Plaster cloth roll

Acrylic paint

Bark (or used paper egg carton, or paper mâché)

Wood glue

Cotton or Synthetic fiber filling for stuffed animals

UV epoxy resin and epoxy glue

Mirror film (or silver plastic sheet)

Plastic sheet/silicon sheet

Clear acrylic ice cubes or crystals

Silicon semi sphere(small)

Permanent markers

Wire or pipe cleaners

Polymer clay

Thin metal wire.

Volcano rocks (small)

Step 1: Floating Island - Basic Shape

We want to make the floating island a little bit more interesting by making it into a mini planter as well.

First, place the plastic water bottle upside down into the wine glass. Cut off the top of the water bottle, leaving a funnel-shaped piece of plastic on top of the wine glass. This provides the base of our floating island. It should be big enough to hold some soil for our miniature plant later.

Next, cut the plaster cloth roll into strips, dip them into water, and carefully wrap around the outside of the “funnel” to shape the bottom of our floating island. Brush repeatedly to smooth the plaster and secure its position. This wrapped layer will help with the decoration-is easier to stick textured materials onto the wrapped layer than the plastic water bottle.

When the “funnel” structure dries, paint it with a mixture of brown, black, and a tiny bit of green acrylic paint to give it an earthy feel. This provides a base color that we will enhance with textured materials.

Step 2: Floating Island - Texture and Decoration

I tried several materials and found that real tree bark worked best for the texture of the island. If you somehow cannot find tree bark, you can alternatively use paper mâché or paper egg cartons (last image).

Pick any dead branch on the ground. Peel off the bark and wash with a brush. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes to dry out the branch and kill any bugs/eggs that might be hidden in the wood. Break the bark into small pieces and glue on to the floating island base with wood glue. 

Tip: Often, the surface of a chunk of tree bark and the floating island base don't have the same shape. This means they won't have a lot of surface contact when you press them together, making them harder to attach to each other. If this happens, use cotton or synthetic fiber to fill in the gap to secure the pieces. It's fine if the cotton is visible: we will add more cotton to make a cloud surrounding the floating island. You can also just remove the extra cotton or paint it to match the rest of the floating island.

Step 3: Ocean

We're going to design an ocean for the Kun fish to swim in with a special optical illusion feature. The Kun will not be visible under the water until a light turns on, illuminating the fish. To create this effect, we made an ocean surface with two-way mirror film.

When the light is off, the silvery film will look like a simple ocean surface, but when the film is lit from below, the fish is revealed. We added an additional colored epoxy resin layer to provide structure and an ocean bluish color.

Mix epoxy resin with blue resin dye. Pour onto a plastic or silicon sheet. Add any other ocean themed colors you desire to create a vibrant feel. Let the resin dry completely, then peel it off the sheet. Find your desired height of the ocean in your wine glass and measure the size of the cross section at that height.

Picture the height of the ocean in the wine glass and measure the size of the cross-cut circle at that height. Cut off a circle of equal size from epoxy resin sheet. This will be your ocean surface. Cut pieces of the blue resin to form the texture of the ocean surface as needed, e.g. by making waves.

Cut another circle from the epoxy sheet of the same size as the wine glass bottom. This will be the bottom of the ocean.

Cut out and glue circles of mirror film to the "ocean surface" and "ocean bottom" resin pieces. Optionally glue on some acrylic plastic "ice cubes" on the edge to give it a touch of the mythical, freezing cold Northern Ocean. It's easier to first glue the ice cubes together before placing them on the resin/mirror film pieces.

Apply a couple drops of resin on the ocean surface to enhance its texture.

Step 4: "Kun" Fish

We want to create an optical illusion where the Kun fish is visible with the light on and “invisible” otherwise. Now, you might be thinking, "Wait, there's only two-way mirror film on the top and bottom of the ocean! You could just look from the side and see the fish!"

And if we just encased a 3D fish sculpture in resin, you'd be right! To stop people from looking at the wine glass from the side, we would like to make this mythological creature in layers, kind of like a 3D printer would. I did some research into what this legendary creature looks like and sketched a simple version of it from the side.

Start with a base layer of UV epoxy. When dry, draw the bottom layer of the fish as shown. Repeat with the next layer of UV epoxy and the next cross-section of the fish until all layers of the fish are drawn. I used 11 layers in total.

When the resin is dry, observe: you can clearly see the Kun fish from the top, but from the side, all you see are a couple of blurry blue lines.

Step 5: "Peng" Bird

Use wires or pipe cleaners to make a skeleton for the Peng bird. Add polymer clay to shape and add details as shown.

Attach a few wires to the tail. These will help support the bird and make it appear as if it's flying.

Bake. See the instructions of your polymer clay.

After the clay has cooled, add droplets of blue or clear UV epoxy to the wire.

Step 6: Assembly

Place the ocean bottom piece at the bottom of the wine glass. Place acrylic crystals on top of it. Nestle the Kun fish within the crystals. Add the ocean top piece on top.

Place the Kun bird lightly on top of the “ocean surface”. The wires should prop the bird up.

 Collect small volcanic rocks, soil, moss, and a small plant (we chose a small fern). Add rocks to the island, fill with soil, plant your plant, and finally pad the surface with moss. Spray with water, and remember to keep watering your plant!