Call of the Small* update

I spent yesterday afternoon at Craft ACT catching up with some of the artisans participating in my exhibition, Call of the Small in August this year.

Want a taste of what's being planned so far?

* I popped into Ampersand Duck's studio during the opening of Three Chords and the Truth at ANCA Gallery and she showed me some teeny tiny printing blocks she's wanting to incorporate into some miniature letterpress posters

* When I visited Jodie Cunningham she said she's is thinking about painting glass or perspex, possibly in 3 D. I suggested miniature desks or lampshades and sent her some links to miniature eye candy to inspire her (although her choice of colours provides eye candy enough)

* Peter Bollington came into Craft ACT just before the opening of the Epidemic show (which he's featured in) and he said at this stage he's inspired by the Noguchi coffee table

* Jennifer Howlett is thinking knitted garments and accessories with the theme of The Seasons.

* Ceramicist Jo Searle is off to Clay Energy 2010 and tells me she plans to take lots of photos (if she can) of their exhibition Up in Smoke (an exhibition of ceramic art works that will fit inside a standard sized Redheads matchbox) to use for inspiration

* David Hodges tells me he's "thinking of making several miniature books, styled like a fully scaled book, that is with leather spine marbled endpapers and text. Some books will be paperbacks, some covered in a buckram, like a library binding. The text part I haven’t yet fully worked out. I have some very small font but I think the best way is to make an etching plate of the page or pages then print a whole section. Depending on how many I get done, I’d like to make a shelf of some description." I jokingly suggested he could produce our exhibition catalogue. In 1/12th scale...

Yes, I realise that's only six of our ten artisans. I need to keep something for next time. (Did I mention they've all agreed for me to visit their studios and capture pictures of them creating their pieces to share here?)

While I'm on the topic of The Call of the Small exhibition, I thought it would be handy to share the list of links I sent the artisans (80% of them have never worked in dolls house size before) to give them an idea of what was possible:

Call of the Small Exhibition: Useful links
(I've not included photos as a lot of them are expressly marked "not for reproduction")

* Homepage of the Australian Miniature Enthusiasts’ Association

* AMEA page explaining scale. Includes links to famous dolls house makes and miniaturists including

* Internationally acclaimed designers of one-twelfth scale architectural miniatures and doll's houses, Mulvany & Rogers have over twenty five years' experience re-creating historically significant European and North American buildings and their interiors.

* From 2000-2008, Mark Turpin created an exciting original series of mansions and rooms in miniature — the Pine Island Collection. This site is dedicated to the imaginative and innovative results of his years of diligent design and craftsmanship. This virtual museum retains the visual record of Mark’s creative architectural art productions.

* Modern and art deco roomboxes and furniture by Peter Tucker, including lighting.

* Mini Modern blog: excellent (and now defunct) blog covering what’s happening in the world of 1/12th scale modern miniatures. Includes comprehensive links lists to other blogs about modern dolls house miniatures, modern dolls houses and books on the subject.

* Vanessa Tiegs, creator of Miniarcs -- miniature artworks crafted in 1:12 scale.

* Modern Miniatures: A group for photographs of modern dolls house miniatures (styles from 1900 onward). Includes (but not limited to) 1/16, 1/18, 1/12 and 1/6 scales.

* My 1/12th scale modern Kaleidoscope House

* “The Kruger Collection collects, preserves, researches and interprets miniature furniture, accessories, and other examples of the built environment to document human cultural evolution, and serves as an educational resource in the areas of interior design, architecture, and material culture studies.”

* V&A Museum’s Museum of Childhood dolls house page includes a number of historically significant houses.

(Have I missed any significant links that I didn't originally list in this post?)

(*Thanks, as usual, to "the real" (and fabulous) Call of the Small for letting me borrow her name)