From the archive

The Eerie Humanoid Driftwood Sculptures of Nagato Iwasaki

The Eerie Humanoid Driftwood Sculptures of Nagato Iwasaki

Artist Nagato Iwasaki‘s lifelike driftwood sculptures are perfect examples of the uncanny valley — the feelings of revulsion and uneasiness one experiences from non-human objects that appear a bit too similar to real human beings. Japan seems to excel at this in areas like robotics technology, and indeed, the term “uncanny valley” itself was coined in 1970 by a Japanese roboticist, Masahiro Mori. Iwasaki takes this concept out into nature, blurring the line between flesh and wood.

Discussion

RamenRyan #13080
This is the first time seeing these sculptures and I must admit, it really entices my inner gaming fandom. I feel like I am looking at a scene or still from a futuristic video game about androids or something! Very cool!