Gallery: These Haunting Sculptures Are Made From Thousands of Hot Glue Sticks

  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors Water and Ice
    Picasa
    01

    onishi-14

    For another project in the series Onishi suspended tree branches from the ceiling of a gallery and coated them with strands of adhesive and urea crystals. *Photo: Takuya Oshima*
  • Image may contain Plant and Tree
    Picasa
    02

    onishi-11

    The result is a surreal, inverted winter landscape, frozen in time. *Photo: Takuya Oshima*
  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors Ice Snow and Plant
    Picasa
    03

    onishi-13

    *Photo: Takuya Oshima*
  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors Ice Snow and Winter
    Picasa
    04

    onishi-12

    *Photo: Takuya Oshima*
  • Image may contain Human Person Clothing Footwear Apparel and Shoe
    05

    onishi-01

    Each project starts the same way. Onishi enters a room and constructs a grid of wires that serve as a scaffold for his hot glue stalactites. Like a virtuoso cowboy, he stands atop a ladder with a glue gun in each hand and fires salvos of synthetic resin that give form to the empty space. *Photo: Yasuaki Onishi*
  • Image may contain Tripod Human and Person
    06

    onishi-10

    The process embraces randomness and Onishi admits that the idea for the unconventional method struck him in an equally unexpected way. "I worked in a huge studio with a sleeping space," he says "One day I found a long string of glue between my working area and bed." *Photo: Yasuaki Onishi*
  • Vertical Emptiness is the name of his latest series and the installations represents a subtle but important shift in his...
    07

    onishi-08

    *Vertical Emptiness* is the name of his latest series and the installations represents a subtle, but important shift in his work. "Every time I start a project the space inspires my work," says Onishi. "I've made quite a lot of installations with black glue and hanging plastic sheets so I wanted to change how I went about filling the empty space and chose materials that I can't control." *Photo: Yasuaki Onishi*
  • Image may contain Outdoors Nature Ice Snow and Frost
    08

    onishi-07

    A recent installation, constructed in a sake cellar, embodies this evolution. Onishi replaced his grid with thick organic stings of glue that droop between contact points in the ceiling. *Photo: Yasuaki Onishi*
  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors Ice Snow Building and Bridge
    09

    onishi-02

    While his previous projects seemed to float ephemerally, *Vertical Emptiness* is decidedly architectural, with columns and spans that could be seen as a Gaudí-esqe castle or spider-filled jungle. *Photo: Yasuaki Onishi*
  • Image may contain Mosquito Net
    10

    onishi-09

    Japanese artist Yasuaki Onishi creates stunning sculptures using humble hot glue guns. *Photo: Yasuaki Onishi*
Read More
Chipotle Is Working With Palantir to Track Food Safety Risks
The burrito chain has enlisted Palantir for a platform that monitors pest incidents, employee illnesses, and other factors. The partnership comes after a nightmare summer for food safety across the US.
Kate Taylor
The iPhone 18 Pro Is for the Shutterbugs
Fun camera features help make these candy bar iPhones stand out from the dazzle of the folding iPhone Duo.
Julian Chokkattu
Don’t Buy an Android Phone Until You Read Our Guide
Shopping for a phone can be an ordeal. That’s why we’ve tested almost every Android phone, from the smartest to the cheapest—even phones that fold—to find the ones worth your money.
Julian Chokkattu
Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera. Its Data Shows How the System Really Works
A hacker collective pulled down a Flock camera and dumped its data. The files included thousands of videos and logs showing that the device captured 1.6 million images of 50,000 vehicles in 21 days.
Dhruv Mehrotra
Introducing the WIRED App
The app is the best way to read, watch, and listen to WIRED’s journalism.
WIRED Staff
The EU Plans to Ban Social Media For Under-13s
The bloc wants to curb Big Tech’s grip on children with its new EU KIDS ACTS, but age checks, parental oversight, and privacy concerns could make its plan difficult to implement.
Isabella Ward
I Made Robot Vacuums Clean Up Cherry Juice and Cheerios. These Won
My hands-on tests reveal which models can scrub stains, reach difficult corners, and navigate a chaotic home.
Nena Farrell
Self-Driving Cars Might Change Crash Testing Forever
Lie down in a car, and you’re more likely to get seriously hurt in a crash. But a driverless future is forcing governments to revisit long-standing safety issues.
Aarian Marshall
Boox Just Announced the Palma 3 E-Reader
The e-paper device maker also launched two new color digital notebooks last night, the Note Air6 C and Mini C.
Nena Farrell
China Isn’t Buying Silicon Valley’s Call for an AI Slowdown
The US and China agree that advanced AI poses serious risks. But Beijing is deeply skeptical of a deal that prioritizes keeping US companies ahead.
Louise Matsakis
Why It Seems Like Great White Sharks Are Overrunning Maine
While a bunch of sharks cruising the Maine coast may seem ominous, it’s actually a sign of a conservation success story.
Molly Taft
Polymarket’s Next Bet? It Can Also Be a Media Company
The legal battle over whether prediction markets are a form of gambling has overshadowed something else entirely: They’re already a new form of media.
Kate Knibbs