These Centuries-Old Japanese Woodblock Prints Get Reanimated as GIFs

Japanese animator Atsuki Segawa has breathed new life into the 19th-century Japanese art form of the ukiyo-e woodblock print with a decidedly modern technology — that of the GIF. Taking original ukiyo-e compositions, Segawa turns them into infinite loops and adds 21st-century elements such as bullet trains and Segways, while creating subtler, more poetic animations in others, such as exploding fireworks or the rollicking sea in Hokusai’s instantly recognizable work, The Great Wave at Kanagawa. Enjoy a selection above and find all of Segawa’s GIFs thus far by clicking here.