Throughout the course of 5 blog posts in a series called ‘Why Miniatures?’, I’ve explored various books, articles and films to discover just why miniatures are so fascinating. Today I present those findings to you in a conclusion to ‘Why Miniautres?’
1 – Toys allow for a comparison between fantasy and reality
2 – Toys are nostalgic
3 – Toys lend to fun and playfulness
4 – Toys can form a dream-like, unreachable world
“The inanimate toy repeats the still life’s theme of arrested life, the life of the tableau. But once the toy becomes animated, it initiates another world, the world of the daydream.” – On Longing by Susan Stewart
5 – Toys are a frozen place in time, a slowing down of the outside world
6 – Toy environments can be fully controlled
7 – Toys are representational icons – whether of self, place, time, etc.
8 – Toys offer an immersive escape
“But the causality of smallness stirs all out senses…” – The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard
9 – Toys offer ways to work with your hands
10 – Toy environments are intimate, they pull you in closer
In short, toys are magical.
Let me know what you would add to the list in a comment below.