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Girl And Her Robot Travel Through Wastelands In Alternate 90s USA In Chilling Illustrations
Picture the USA in late 1997, but with less boy bands and more post-apocalyptic desolation. That's exactly how Simon Stålenhag envisioned The Electric State, his upcoming latest installment to an impressive streak of successful artbooks, and we're completely lost in how fascinating it turned out.
The artist and author, who hails from Stockholm, Sweden, bases The Electric State on "a runaway teenager and her yellow toy robot," an unlikely pair that travels the West Coast in the aftermath of a massive technological meltdown, which has apparently resulted in brutal warfare between monstrous 'battle drones' and sheepish humans controlled by individual Virtual Reality helmets. It's a dark, confronting saga, and one Stålenhag vividly illustrates to the point that it looks terrifyingly real. His attention to detail mirrors that of his previous efforts, Tales From the Loop and Things From the Flood, while exploring similarly morose themes.
The Electric State has partially been a community effort, with over 5 thousand fans plunging forward to support the book's development on Kickstarter, resulting in more than $300,000 in donations. If you're like us and can't wait to get your hands on a copy, there's good news and bad news; you'll have to wait until December 2017 for the physical release, but it is set to include texts written by Stålenhag himself explaining each photo. Check it out below, and let us know what you think!
More info: Official Website, Tumblr (h/t: DesignYouTrust)
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I would love to know what the artist is thinking as he creates these pictures. As an artist myself, each creation has a story in my mind.
Main stream media, and its clueless followers completely unaware they're being fed harmful propaganda. That's what I'm reminded of.
Multiple references beautifully interwoven: The scene appears inspired from Will Smith's "I Am Legend" Deer Caught In Headlights. The animal will be hunted, presumably for food. A robot is helping the little girl to kill. Ironically... his elder siblings slaughtered humans.
scary part is there are already places like this in the world. aside from the tech.
I wonder if you still have to call Dig-Safe if you've been braincabled into the hive mind?
The more I look at them the more I think they might be fusion reactors.
I would really love to know what is up with the zombies, and what the Vertually Reality hats look like inside.
The advertisement he made up for this is impressive... It just seems like it would be real. These pictures have me really impressed :O
Oh look, it's consumerism and the homes of the zombies that soak it up. Not that much of an alternate reality.
It is interesting that this artist is from Stockholm. I am a native of the American West, and these pictures capture the feel of the towns and the landscape in a way that is rare even for a local. It's really amazing work. I hope his book is successful!
Same here! People living their life inside the OASIS.
Load More Replies...It is interesting that this artist is from Stockholm. I am a native of the American West, and these pictures capture the feel of the towns and the landscape in a way that is rare even for a local. It's really amazing work. I hope his book is successful!
Same here! People living their life inside the OASIS.
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