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Artists in the miniatures world tend to focus their passion for detailing on period pieces fit for museum displays, drawing rooms or libraries. However, the British miniaturists Kath Holden and her mother Margaret Shaw of Delph Miniatures in Bradford, Yorkshire, have carved out their own small space by shrinking everyday items such as ironing boards and mobility scooters. While the miniature community’s snootier or more conventional members might look down upon such contemporary creations, the duo succeed in elevating the familiar through their exceptional craft – at the same time as managing a few snide comments about their backward-looking peers. In her charming short Life in Miniature, the UK director Ellen Evans inspects Holden’s meticulous work and personal philosophy, proving that outsized inspiration can be found in small and surprising places. The film premiered at the 2018 Sheffield Doc/Fest before screening at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
Director: Ellen Evans
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Making
On the Norwegian coast, a tree is transformed into a boat the old-fashioned way
6 minutes
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Nature and landscape
California’s landscapes provide endless inspiration for a woodcut printmaker
10 minutes
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Food and drink
The passage of time is a peculiar thing in a 24-hour diner
14 minutes
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Design and fashion
A ceramicist puts her own bawdy spin on the folk language of pottery
14 minutes
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Art
Radical doodles – how ‘exquisite corpse’ games embodied the Surrealist movement
15 minutes
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Home
How an artist transformed a dilapidated hunting lodge into a house made of dreams
8 minutes
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History of technology
Replicating Shakespearean-era printing brings its own dramas and comedy
19 minutes
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Making
Forging a cello from pieces of wood demands its own form of virtuosity
27 minutes
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Information and communication
An animation built from road signs is a whirlwind study of flash communication
2 minutes