The Unbelievably Intricate Cardboard Sculptures And Stop Motion Film by Daniel Agdag

Australian artist Daniel Agdag produces invented contraptions and antiquated flying machines from cardboard, timber, and trace paper, turning his whimsical fantasies into highly detailed sculptures. The works seek to connect his audience with the mechanics located beneath the exterior of modern machines, while emphasizing the complexity present in our everyday experiences.

Still from Lost Property Office

Agdag has also released a short film with producer Liz Kearney titled Lost Property Office. The stop motion animation follows a custodian named Ed through his solitary work in a large city’s Lost Property Office, exploring the whimsical creations he builds from discarded objects and machines.

“The Installation” (2017), cardboard, trace paper, mounted on timber base with hand-blown glass dome, 23 x 12 x 12 inches

“The Compartment” (2018), cardboard, trace paper, mounted on timber base with hand-blown glass dome, 23 x 12 x 12 inches

Over 2,500 sheets of recycled cardboard were utilized over the course of film’s 18-month production, which translated into 1,258 hand-crafted and Art Deco-style set pieces and props. New sculptural works include a flying caboose the combines the visual language of locomotives and hot air balloons, and a turbine-assisted car that moves horizontally along a raised track.

“The General and the Caboose” (2017), cardboard, mounted on timber base with hand-blown glass dome, 23 x 12 x 12 inches

“The General and the Caboose” detail

“The Principles of Aerodynamics” was Agdag’s first solo exhibition where his series of cardboard contraptions that portray his “ongoing pursuit of escape through the metaphor of flight”.