{"id":1843946,"date":"2026-03-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1843946"},"modified":"2026-03-24T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T21:00:00","slug":"a-doomed-mission-to-mars-awaits-henry-woods-lanky-explorers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1843946","title":{"rendered":"A Doomed Mission to Mars Awaits Henry Wood\u2019s Lanky Explorers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2740\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Explorer-3-.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a wooden figure with adventurous clothing by Henry Wood\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">All images courtesy of Henry Wood, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">A Doomed Mission to Mars Awaits Henry Wood\u2019s Lanky Explorers<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-24T09:34:14-05:00\">March 24, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">Art<\/a><a class=\"category-craft\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/craft\/\" rel=\"tag\">Craft<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/gebert\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Grace Ebert<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F03%2Fhenry-wood-mars-explorer-figures%2F&amp;title=A%20Doomed%20Mission%20to%20Mars%20Awaits%20Henry%20Wood%27s%20Lanky%20Explorers\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"471386\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>As speculation about <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/7373155\/elon-musk-mars-moon-city\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">humans colonizing the moon and Mars<\/a> ramps up, it\u2019s increasingly likely that we\u2019ll see attempts at living in places previously unthinkable. For <a href=\"https:\/\/www.henrywoodstudio.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Henry Wood<\/a>, the potential for inhabiting Mars, in particular, has inspired a series of wooden figures with quite a turbulent backstory.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe premise of this growing body of work is that in the not-too-distant future, humanity will establish a doomed colony on Mars,\u201d he tells Colossal. Each figure has a specific history, their difficulties and demise carved into wood. The character he refers to as Scott, for example, found himself stranded at the South Pole, while an onslaught of ice from the sea buried Franklin. The title of the series fits this ill-fated adventure, too: <em>We went to Mars and it was a disaster<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Explorer-4-.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-471386\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2740\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Explorer-4-.jpg\" alt=\"a figurative sculpture by henry wood of a hat covered in flowers\" class=\"wp-image-471391\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>The idea for the collection began about a decade ago when the artist visited a Cairo museum and witnessed how conservators had reconfigured broken objects. \u201cI am in awe of relics from Antiquity\u00a0and wanted to imagine what it would be like in the distant future doing archaeology\u00a0on other planets long after we had terraformed\u00a0them,\u201d he says. \u201cI imagine them as statues or artifacts depicting great figures from Antiquity, resurrected from the ground and reconstructed to piece together the story of what went wrong on the Red planet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Each long-limbed adventurer takes several weeks to complete, with most of the pieces meticulously planned. Wood shares that sketchbooks are essential in mapping out his projects, and so is travel itself\u2014although the artist doesn\u2019t venture as far as his explorers. \u201cI am visually interested in people, particularly in what their clothes say about them and their beliefs and values,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Wood prefers to gather materials as he travels or encounters objects that have a story. \u201cI am always shipping bits of\u00a0wood back to the workshop from\u00a0wherever I am in the world,\u201d he adds. Recent trips to the Pacific Northwest and Oaxaca allowed him to incorporate new tools and traditions, too. These emerge in the ways he often highlights the texture and grain of the wood and juxtaposes various techniques. \u201cI love the contrast of tight acute angles alongside organic tears, splits, and fibers,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>Follow the artist\u2019s process and keep an eye out for the latest adventurer to be added to the ranks on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/henrywood__\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MarsExplorer-.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-471386\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2740\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MarsExplorer-.jpg\" alt=\"a wooden figure with adventurous clothing by Henry Wood \" class=\"wp-image-471395\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/explorer-3.1.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-471386\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2480\" height=\"3508\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/explorer-3.1.jpg\" alt=\"a wooden figure with adventurous clothing by Henry Wood \" class=\"wp-image-471390\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/explorer-2-.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-471386\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2740\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/explorer-2-.jpg\" alt=\"a detail image of a wooden flowers and wooden feet by Henry Wood\" class=\"wp-image-471388\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/explorer-10-.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-471386\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2740\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/explorer-10-.jpg\" alt=\"a wooden figure with adventurous clothing by Henry Wood \" class=\"wp-image-471394\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Explorer-7-.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-471386\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2480\" height=\"3508\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Explorer-7-.jpg\" alt=\"a detail image of a wooden figure with adventurous clothing by Henry Wood \" class=\"wp-image-471393\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/explorer-6.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-471386\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2740\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/explorer-6.jpg\" alt=\"a detail image of a wooden figure with adventurous clothing by Henry Wood \" class=\"wp-image-471392\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"after-entry\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"After Entry\">\n<section id=\"block-16\" class=\"widget widget_block widget_text\">\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#88caf0\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>Do stories and artists like this matter to you?<\/strong><\/mark> Become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"118516\">Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"block-17\" class=\"widget widget_block\">\n<div 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