The microcosm is now huge.

Social media feed is filled with a large number of people who struggle to recreate small kitchens where they can cook button-sized eggs on light heat. The creators conducted a tour of elaborate houses decorated with hand-mailed pillows. Some people will cover lipstick and eyeshadow from the palette and can’t even use Barbie dolls. This phenomenon is also scattered in the mainstream, with stores selling popular Miguang and mini-branded kits for amateurs to dabble in miniature art.

According to the small artist himself, the pandemic has largely caused the cause of this talent thriving. Locked artists start showing off their stereotypes and sharing their techniques. The resulting cycle of talent feedback leads to a microcosm, more detailed and thoughtful than ever before.

“I did my tiktok in 2020 like everyone else. That blows up,” said Amanda Kelly, the first artist-in-residence at the Mini Time Machine Museum in Tucson, Arizona.

Kelly's work combines the most detailed details such as the tiny coffee ring, small skin head and small banana peel size.

But what is behind the microscopic prosperity? Why is social media so fascinated by the shrinking sink of work, or books with printed words that read too small to the naked eye?

Why is the miniature so eye-catching

According to experts and miniaturists, the answer is as complicated as some mini scans themselves.

"It's definitely about control," Kelly said. "It's like when you play The Sims or some kind of simulation game, you can control what's going on in this little space, in this little world you're creating."

Susana Martinez-Conde, a neuroscientist at SUNY, agreed - adding that there are other factors at work. For example, humans like to appreciate informative scenarios, e.g. I'm a spy or Where is Waldo books.

"They have a lot of visual content, which contains small details in reduced spaces. It's a bit like candy for our visual system," she said.

In our distracted world, she says it’s fascinating to watch someone craft a scene: “We almost desire to get a deep attention from people, especially now we’re moving in many different directions.”

Don't count it cute, either.

“Everyone loves little things,” said Ashley Voortman, micro-artist and author Creepy craftsmanship: 60 Terrible Adults’ Terrible Projects. "It's like cute aggression. It's so cute and want to squeeze it."

Tell a story

In most cases, there is no human in art, just the relatively huge hand of the creator. And there is almost always a backstory.

"You can slow down and think about small stories and get lost when creating the world you want," Voortman said. Her stories are often creepy breeds, like the elaborate scenes she does about “immoral” mental health agencies because, according to her, "a moral person isn't horrible."

The tiny scenes of Montreal-based artist Marina Totino are filled with her love of nostalgia, especially since the 1980s and 1990s and bringing audiences back to childhood. "I fell in love with creating a never-existent space that once existed," Tottino said.

Her work includes a shoebox-sized video store with hundreds of DVDs. Its brick wall is marked with graffiti, and a cracked "Sorry, We Close" sign at the bottom of the front door is located at the bottom. Mirroring makes the video's shelf look unlimited. "Wish the core memory of renting the movie will always exist," Totino wrote on her website.

From craft to art

The size of these projects (usually at a 1:12 ratio) makes them a special challenge in building.

“It took a long time to build the microcosm,” Tottino said. “It’s a very time-consuming medium, I’ve been using my fingers all the time, I put things on the floor, I lost things because they’re small, and then I have to restart.”

Totino analyzes the shapes of objects to try to recreate them, just like curves on a wired phone she carved out of wood.

Voortman starts her project with a vague idea. “I use a lot of used stuff to make microcosm, so I just pile all the garbage in front of me and start putting things together,” she said.

Use crafts and the garbage she collects, such as ancient soy sauce bottles, trinkets and lids. - Voortman made a haunted house from an abandoned city on matchboxes and teapots.

Building these miniature masterpieces requires skill and perseverance. "You have to be like a Renaissance man. You have to know the wood making. You know. You have to know how to use the objects you found."

Mini DIY

According to the creators, the microcosm community is a passionate community. Totino said there are many people who encourage each other online and have small shows, routines and sales meetings throughout the trend, Totino said there is no wrong way.

"How perfect is your miniature world. It can be made of paper or cardboard, and it's still a way to make art and live in a space where only other people can go," Tottino said.

She added: “If you want to start making microcosm, I would strongly encourage you to walk in and just get into it.”