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        This is the 163rd in a series spotlighting pigs from the Big Pig Gig Public Art Project taking place in Cincinnati, Covington and Newport. Find past pig profiles and event details - and vote for your favorite pig — at Cincinnati.com/bigpiggig

        Pigs in space! aboard the space shuttle Mudgellan, naturally.

        Artist: David Tunison, 35, Fairview Heights, an independent mapmaker, painter and woodworker.

        Sponsor: The Discovery Channel.

        This pig's pen: Atrium One, Fourth Street.

        You were inspired by: Taking a flying pig to new heights.

        What's the pig idea? My sponsor wanted something that “said” discovery. My sister suggested the space shuttle Discovery.

        You want people to look at this pig and think: Where will that thing go when it's taken off the streets?

        Completing the project took: A month, but it seemed much longer.

        What's the matter? Walnut, birch plywood, redwood, enamel auto paint and a globe with continents shaped like animals. The two opposing countries are a cow and a pig.

        Your high on the hog was: Around the time Topigiary was stolen, I was working on Mudgellan inside the police substation on West McMicken Avenue. I was hoping I wouldn't be a suspect.

        Pig peeve: Finding out that there was a steel spine running from head to toe of the pig. I wanted to have the shuttle's cargo bay open, but I didn't have the tools or the time to cut steel, so I simplified the design, to my sponsor's dismay.

        Best pig tale: Seeing the tail end of Mudgellan sticking precariously out of the open hatchback of Beth Cefalu's 1983 Honda Civic as it sped through downtown.

        My favorite pork dish: Chop Sooeey.

        What do you call this pig: Mud.

        The materials cost: $120, including the price of the space shuttle reference book, now splattered with paint, cover to cover. I guess I can't take it to Half Price Books.

        Do you consider this art or porkography? High porknology.

        If your pig starred in a movie, who would you cast to play the role? With those pointy ears, it's got to be Leonard Nimoy.

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