The Uncanny Valley of the Dolls series both inspired, and is an ongoing chapter of, the Dialectics collection, in which I create mostly non-linear narratives that use metaphor and dialectics to express psychological difficulties through disasters and conflicts. Whereas the Dialectics videos contain multiple scenes, the Uncanny Valley of the Dolls videos are each only one scene.

I use dolls to convey innocence and vulnerability, while at the same time avoiding misunderstandings that realistic images of children may cause. Using images of realistic children also gets too close to the Uncanny Valley phenomenon, and therefore, disengagement of the viewer. Lastly, the more abstract a character, the more a viewer can pour themselves into it.

As with most of my videos, we know there’s a threat, but we’re not exactly sure what it is. Bottom line is that these dolls are in difficult situations, and viewers witness them experience and react to the trauma - hence the play on words in the title, with the novel and film of a similar name.

Sound design by Barbara Chira.