For my Upcycle project, I have chosen the Artificial Nature aesthetic, an aesthetic which fuses organic lifeforms with mechanical and electronic elements and creates a vision of nature that has evolved through technology. This aesthetic blurs the line between the biological and the synthetic to present a fantasy in which machines take on the form of living creatures, seamlessly integrating circuits and metal components into pseudo-biological bodies. It imagines a future where discarded electronics aren’t just waste, but part of an evolving artificial biosphere.
To bring this aesthetic to life, I will construct a scorpion sculpture using old and fried circuit components from my previous electrical engineering project classes; this will include resistors, capacitors, and PCB fragments, among other components. The segmented body of the scorpion will be formed using layers of electronic scrap, while the delicate legs will be shaped from resistors and the tail from integrated circuit components, held together by soldered connections, imitating the intricate exoskeleton of a real scorpion. The pincers and stinger, perhaps the most striking feature, will be crafted from carefully bent transistors, clamps, and possible other parts. The use of these varied components will reinforce the illustration of an organic creature birthed from technological remnants.
The Artificial Nature aesthetic is inspired human technology inevitably advancing and deteriorating upon outliving its intended purpose and becoming obsolete in the face of new advancements; in a fantastical world this forgotten technology could merge with nature and form hybridized life forms that are neither fully machine nor fully biological. To convey the goal this aesthetic will strive for in my sculpture, we can look towards works such as Theo Jansen’s kinetic sculptures, which mimic natural motion using mechanical components, and the cybernetic creatures of Studio Ghibli’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, which served as key influences in how I envisioned artificial materials could be used to emulate the organic presence of an organism such as an arachnid.

This aesthetic choice reflects the broader theme of ecological adaptation, portraying what would happen if technology grew independent and was left to evolve on its own and mimic the natural world, far from human interference. The scorpion, a highly adaptable species, is the perfect subject for this exploration, reimagined as a synthetic lifeform scuttling across the ruins of human civilization. It would serve as a remnant of a digital ecosystem that replicates the dwindled ecological lifeforms, thereby continuing to thrive in the absence of its creators. Through this project, I aim to bring forth the idea that nature and technology are not mutually exclusive, but upon being left to their own devices can rather become intertwined forces capable of symbiosis, forming a world where discarded electronics don’t die, but instead become the new foundations of a new kind of living world.
Featured image:
https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Artificial_Nature
Kinetic Sculpture from Plastic Tubing, Theo Jansen 2012
https://entrepreneurthearts.com/theo-jansen-the-art-of-creating-creatures/
4 Comments. Leave new
Hello Danny,
The post showcases a very interesting concept in art with a display of artificial nature. It reminded me of something similar; my uncle used to make scorpions out of paper clips, which gave off a similar aesthetic. One question or suggestion I have is that scorpions happen to be fluoresce under ultraviolet light. Do you think your construction would do something similar, or would it evolve to incorporate light in some way?
That’s a really cool connection! I love the idea of small creatures made from everyday materials. I hadn’t thought about fluorescence, but that’s a great suggestion—maybe I could add UV-reactive parts or LEDs, or perhaps UV paint. It would be cool if it looked like a cybernetic version of real scorpion fluorescence!
The way you describe an artificial biosphere rife with artificial nature is really compelling. The dichotomy of deteriorating technology giving life to evolving organisms feels especially crunchy to my brain, like there is a lot to think about and explore there. Beyond the physical components of your scorpion, are there any ways you plan to bring in the life and narrative of an artificial biosphere? Perhaps with motion, environment, or pose?
Thanks! I definitely want it to feel like it belongs in a larger artificial ecosystem. I’m thinking of posing it in a way that suggests movement, maybe even placing it on an old circuit board to make it look like part of a tech-based habitat. Adding motion would be awesome, but I’ll have to see if it works with the materials. Definitely something to explore!