Data + Design Project

Hollowed Out TV Sets Become Miniature Worlds

Wednesday 05.15.2013 , Posted by

1 Zhang Xiangxi TV

Have you ever wondered what will happen to all the cathode ray tube televisions now that most people have switched to flatscreens? Chinese artist Zhang Xiangxi has re-purposed a few of them into a diorama like record of some of the rooms from his life- his old workspace in Guangzhou, the workers’ dormitory he once lived in, his parent’s sitting room, and the interior of a train carriage. He even created his “dream home.” He hollows out the old televisions, then intricately sculpts miniature furniture, wall art, and yes-even televisions! He doesn’t try to make perfect little dollhouse worlds, he includes all of the clutter that a real room would have.
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Whimsical Crayon Typography Sculptures

Monday 04.01.2013 , Posted by

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Remember the days when your status was measured by which pack of Crayolas your mom sent you to school with? If you were lucky enough to have the 64 pack with the sharpener in the back, then this series of crayon sculptures will take you back to the good ol’ days. Vietnamese artist Diem Chau has carved out the entire alphabet along with a corresponding animal for each letter into Crayolas for a colorful collection that’s more fun than a brand new coloring book! A for aardvark, B for boy, C for cat, D for dove, E for elephant, and F for frog… [Read more...]

Carved Graphite: Miniature Pencil Sculptures

Thursday 03.14.2013 , Posted by

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Inspired by the original pencil sculptor, Dalton M. Ghetti, a Hungarian artist who goes by the name Cerkahegzyo on DeviantART has created some amazing copycat pieces along with some of his own innovations. Using razorblades, needles, and thread, he creates miniature objects in the graphite of pencils after filing away the wooden casing. From keys to chain links, coils, monsters and more it seems he will never run out of ideas. [Read more...]

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Miniature Masterpieces: Microscopic Sculptures

Tuesday 01.08.2013 , Posted by

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They say that patience is a virtue, but the amount of patience that it would take Nikolai Aldunin to sculpt these microscopic masterpieces should qualify him for sainthood. The Russian creative uses his 1985 microscope to sculpt accurate replicas of guns, tanks, bicycles and even a saddle with stirrups for a flea. According to TIME Aldunin works between the beats of his heart to keep his hands still using superglue, syringes, and toothpicks to create his miniatures. Aldunin offers advice for this line of work: “You musn’t get into a state of worry. Everything that you feel in your soul is transmitted to your hands.” Unfortunately, even after all of his hard work, there’s not a very big market for sculptures that can only be seen with a microscope.
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The Sweetest Gift: A Dollhouse Built Inside of a Guitar

Sunday 01.06.2013 , Posted by

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As a gift for her daughter Cathryn’s 25th birthday, Australian miniature maker Lorraine of Fairy Meadow Miniatures created a heartfelt dollhouse filled with her favorite things. According to the mother, her daughter “is a music and travel buff and just about to start a new episode in her life and attend Flinders University.” To highlight Cathryn’s love of music, the dollhouse was constructed inside of a guitar and the wallpaper in the rooms has little music notes. If you look closely, you will see there are 2 miniature guitars in the rooms, a flute, and lots of CDs. There are little maps and atlases scattered about, some classic books, family pictures, and the screensaver on the computer is the home screen of Flinders University Psychology Department. [Read more...]

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Find a Penny, Paint it Up

Monday 09.17.2012 , Posted by

Pennies can’t buy much these days; not even a gum ball. But for Jacqueline Lou Skaggs they are the perfect canvas for miniature oil paintings. It’s amazing how much detail she is able to convey on such a tiny surface. By defacing the pennies, Skaggs adds value and beauty to something that would otherwise have close to none. [Read more...]

Astonishingly Detailed Mini Matchbook Illustrations

Tuesday 08.21.2012 , Posted by

A self-declared Miniaturist, artist Jason D’Aquino creates incredibly detailed illustrations on a small scale. Preferring tiny surfaces for his drawings, some of his artworks measure less than one square inch in dimension. It is amazing how much precision and accuracy is depicted at such a minuscule proportions as he creates portraits of some of the key players in literature and history, including Charles Bukowski, Nikola Tesla, Alfred Hitchcock and Frida Kahlo on the inside panel of strike-on-front matchbooks. D’Aquino uses high-magnification goggles (like a jeweler) to assist him in creating his itsy-bitsy images and has enjoyed the challenge of seeing how small he can go with his pencil drawings. [Read more...]

Tragic Miniatures in the Wake of Destruction

Monday 04.23.2012 , Posted by

When tragedy strikes our mundane everyday existence, life can seem like it has turned upside down. Whether it be a tornado, earthquake or flood that has struck, it can seem as if the hand of god has swiftly crushed all that we have known and in ways that almost seem surreal, changed our existence and understanding of the world forever. Thomas Doyle’s miniatures give us just that feeling, taking tiny homes and trowing them into a perilous existence which often seems too wild to be true. [Read more...]

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Intricate Building Sculptures in the Bonsai Style

Thursday 02.16.2012 , Posted by

These astoundingly intricate miniatures are so complex and so dreamlike they make one want to get closer and closer until you actually walk their many looping stairs and paths. Designed and built by Japanese artist Takanori Aiba, most of his pieces take a heavy dose of their influence from the art of bonsai, weaving plant-like forms throughout the classic architectural elements. Aiba even goes so far as to use the cascade form of bonsai in his piece above, along with classic terrariums and tables used in the art form. [Read more...]

Surprisingly Unusual: Photographs of Small Worlds

Monday 12.19.2011 , Posted by

A sunny balcony pokes out from the side of a classic brick building, curtains drifting in the breeze behind old green double doors and an open drink waits to be consumed… but not is all as it seems. Disquietingly, we realize this peaceful scene is actually hanging over the smooth, polished tracks of a recently traveled railroad line. Such are the familiar, yet unusual works of miniature artist Frank Kunert [Read more...]

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