Daisuke Shimodaira - A Master in the World of Magnificent Junk Art [1/2]

Dismantling broken machines, collecting unnecessary metal scraps...among heaps of junk parts, new life is born. What we are talking about is junk art. Building such creations in the motif of popular icons, for example Hatsune Miku who has built a substantial subculture, is an approach that has yet to be seen in modern art. With “Junk Miku” in hand, artist Daisuke Shimodaira, a master in the realm of junk art, recently visited the TokyoOtakuMode office for an exclusive interview.

“All of my works are made from common parts that can be found pretty much everywhere. I don’t just use bolts and nuts, but also things like pen clips.”

Of course, after taking a good look at Junk Miku, little by little all of the individual parts come into view. The countless varieties of nuts and washers, the intricate parts like the bobbin of a sewing machine or a small butter knife, baffle the viewer with how they are used. The combination of all of these intricate parts breathes new life into them, from their shape to their purpose. Taking all of this into consideration, it’s a wonder how looking at the finished product, you can easily see the details of Hatsune Miku. With this type of art, not just skill, but also imagination is needed. Starting from nothing and using original parts allows creators the freedom to mold their creations however they see fit. However, we had to ask the simple question, why fuss over using all of this junk?

“Maybe it’s because I don’t want to limit myself. Because it’s Hatsune Miku, I of course had to have her holding a leek. So I tried to challenge myself to make a leek using parts I had lying around, but it was no use. No matter what I did, I just couldn’t get it right. I realized that if I did it that way, it wouldn’t work. So I widened my scope...”

Truthfully, even though so much effort may go into it, the aesthetic sense of his unique work seems absolutely effortless. The structure of his humanoid work is so intricate that the joints even move, conforming to that of a human body’s. As such, the work can only move in ways that are possible for humans. However, his intricacy and attention to detail go far beyond just this. He also builds his works from a mechanical perspective, incorporating in his molds parts that an actual machine would need in order to function. For example, parts that look like an engine, necessary parts for cooling, necessary parts for supplying fuel, and more are all incorporated in his work. Maybe that’s the reason why many of the parts on the outside of the model are hard to recognize.

“I’m not going to lie. I did graduate from a mechanical engineering high school after all.”

Hmm. Well, it is often hard to understand genius.
(To be continued)

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Photos by Tetsuya Hara