Becoming human is a 30-foot tall sculpture of a robot that's smelling the flower in its right hand. The sculpture hopes to inspire viewers to ask questions about technology and nature, and the value of slowing down.

The idea for Becoming Human came out of robot drawings the artist was doing for his young son, cross-pollinated with the famous children’s story ‘Ferdinand.’

It was originally built for the Coachella Festival This was it’s only installation in Taos. It is now a permanent fixture at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

About the artist: Christian Ristow has been building mechanical art since he was a child. After opting out early from a career in architecture, he became involved in his 20’s with the underground robot performance-art scene in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the amazing world of Burning Man. A decade working in film special effects in Southern California rounded out his formative influences.

Upon moving to New Mexico in 2005, Ristow shifted his focus to large-scale interactive sculpture. These works have been showcased at arts and cultural events around the world.

While large kinetic sculpture remains Ristow’s lifelong focus, the scope of his artistic output has recently enlarged to include smaller-scale sculpture, traditional figurative clay sculpture, and oil painting.

Ristow lives with his family in Taos, New Mexico.