Lisa Black is a New Zealand artist with some macabre subject matter… she loves to take taxidermy to a disturbing new level that transforms animals into half animal / half machine hybrids. Her skill at faux cybernetic enhancements beautifully complement her exceptional taxidermy to form creations that seem straight out of a mad steampunk scientest’s lab:

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The most straight up frightening of Lisa Black’s collection are featured above. The only parts left of these strange hybrid creatures are their bones and mechanical accoutrements, except in the case of the heart clock, which is a bit more abstract, and a whole lot grosser.

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Some of Lisa Black’s depict animals more machine than organic, with frightening results. Her ferret with startling white eyes and outgoing computer components especially gives me chills. The idea that a normal rabbit’s fine fur could be hiding an intricate set of mechanical hardware is an equally terrifying vision of the future.

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Who wouldn’t want a windup turtle? Especially if it was able to operate exactly like a fully organic one. It’s no wonder some people find taxidermy disturbing – this is enough to push someone into that camp.

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It’s interesting how the most minor adjustments can make an animal look so clearly mechanical. Adding a few steampunk elements like winding keys and you’ve immediately leapt to a future where animals are not all that they seem.

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There’s something surreal about a cute, live looking bird with mechanical features. The avian Lisa Black creations seem the most realistic, because of the stuttering motions inherent in bird movements, it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine gears winding around inside them.