An Uncanny Valley

Set in an Austrian Biosphere Reserve, An Uncanny Valley is a materialisation of unexamined conceptions of “Nature” by which conservation strategies are created. It questions which motives and mechanisms enable such spaces and for whom they are created. 

This video installation renders the vision of the valley visible, a vision modeled after the biotope registers, plant inventories and descriptions of the aesthetics and purpose of the reserve. The result – a hypernatural landscape that presents itself as pure and untouched. But much like the real Biosphere Park, it relies on hidden, rigid, digital-mechanic processes to upkeep its hyperreality. 

If we understand the complexity and ultimate hypocrisy of most nature conservation we can more effectively speculate and ideate more integrated and inclusive spaces of coexistence that can enable a multi-special future.