Artist Attempts to Bring Social Good to Homeless Hermit Crabs

Taiwan’s hermit crabs are facing a foreclosure of sorts. They’re losing their shells due to over collection by humans. When they lose one they’ll ideally look for a new shell but will use plastic debris if one can’t be found. Japanese artist Aki Inomata came up with an idea to use 3-D modeled plastic shells to replace lost ones. Additionally, her designs are crowned with tiny buildings and miniature cities. On why she built them like that, she says, “I connected my study of the hermit’s transformation to the self-adaptation of humans, whether it be in acquiring a new nationality, immigrating, or relocating.”