The (miniature) week that was...

It's been a bit quiet on the blog front around here, but that doesn't mean nothing has been going on. To start with, I've been spending my blogging time this week on sorting out and cleaning up back-end stuff, which is boring but worthwhile.

More excitingly, I received a package from Lundby Australia, which contained a range of goodies from their new Smaland 2015 range:

 I'd only asked for the new bluetooth stereo, to review for the next issue of The tiny Times, so was surprised and delighted to receive the added extras. I feel a blog post about which pieces work in 1/12 scale coming on, but first I need to share my excitement at being able to play music in your dolls' house:

 

I took a quick video just after I unpacked it, using the only house I had wired up, and the only track on my phone:

(Also on the list of things to do: make a better video, outlining how it works)

But first, I need to finish preparing new stock for my stall at the AMEA Convention:

and do some more work on my Etsy shop, which has something in it for the first time since I opened it eight years ago (thanks to The Etsy Courage Challenge for the kick in the bum and the reminder that 'done is better than perfect'.) 

All of this means that there's been nothing done on any of my Finish it off Friday projects at all this month...*sigh*

Hong Kong in Miniature: Street stalls and plants by Loi-Yau Li

One of the first displays you come to when you enter the first part of the Hong Kong in Miniature exhibition at Westfield Pitt Street is a row of street stalls. These stalls were traditionally found in the streets and lanes of old Hong Kong, and many can still be seen today.

 One of my favourites was the fish stall, complete with a mind-boggling array of fish and shellfish for sale

Photo courtesy of the Joyful Miniature Association

Photo courtesy of the Joyful Miniature Association

and a spot next to it where you can sit down for a meal from the stall.

 Further along is a well-stocked fruit stand,

 a flower stall,

 and a number of stalls which I didn't manage to get good photos of.

All these stalls (and the many many items displayed for sale on them) were made by one woman: Loi-Yau Li.

Loi-Yau's first loves was painting, which she gave up as she did not feel talented enough. Instead she found miniatures, which she fell in love with: often staying up until midnight to work on a model. Eventually she quit her job as a primary school teacher to focus on her miniatures and set up the Hong Kong Miniature Art Society to promote the art and share the joy with others.

She had some of her amazing plants with her and allowed me to photograph them to share with you: 

Loi-Yau will be giving a plant-making demonstration tomorrow afternoon at 3 pm. Afterwards, members of AMEA are invited to meet with the some of the miniaturists who created the exhibits to chat about minis. Details can be found on the AMEA Facebook page.

The Hong Kong in Miniature exhibition is on at Westfield Pitt Street during trading hours until tomorrow. 

#HongKonginMiniature #MiniHongKong

Hong Kong in Miniature: bright lights, big city (works by Tony Lai)

In my first post on the Hong Kong in Miniature exhibition (on display at Westfield Pitt Street until Sunday), Pepper commented on the illuminated sign on Louise Chan's shoe shop.

Which got me thinking that I should do a post on all the really interesting use of light (and movement) I saw in the exhibition. (A note if you're reading this through an RSS feed: this post contains video. You probably need to come on down and read it live on the blog...)

1. Tenement building

Tony has been an architectural model builder for 26 years, and it shows in the detail of his work. He began making miniature models as a hobby in 2007, and believes that including movement and light in his pieces adds to the audience's appreciation of the work.

I know I could have examined this work for hours, noticing all the different lit signs and rooms in the buildings, and understanding the stories behind how the model was set up.

The lighting on the work is even more amazing at night: luckily for us the organisers allowed me to share some evening shots they provided with you...

Photo courtesy of the Joyful Miniature Association

2. Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance

This building is part of a bigger scene, showing a traditional dance performed during the mid-autumn festival. Once again, I was impressed by the detail and use of light in the scene, which is shown below with some people for scale,

(and with some scale people!)

3. Hong Kong salon

This 1/12 scale hair salon is based on the traditional barbers that used to be found in Hong Kong. The rotating barber's poll is driven by a slow motor and has over ten LED lights at the top to light it.

3. Hong Kong herbal tea shop

The highlight of this 1/12 scale scene for me was the working TV mounted high up on the cafe wall.

3. Hong Kong cafe

Another 1/12 scale scene, with awesome neon signage outside

and a light TV and clock, and working fan inside.

Once again, thanks to the organisers for allowing me to reproduce this night-time version:

Photo courtesy of the Joyful Miniature Association

Tony set up a workshop in 2013 to teach people about Miniature Arts (I feel the sudden need to visit Hong Kong, don't you?), and can be found on Facebook.

 

The Hong Kong in Miniature exhibition is on at Westfield Pitt Street during trading hours until September 20.  The final demonstration is on Sunday at 3pm, when Li Loi Yun will showcase how she makes mini plants.

#HongKonginMiniature #MiniHongKong

Hong Kong in Miniature: meet Vivian Lee

Vivian is a professional designer who enjoys making all sorts of handicraft, but over the past few years has focused more on miniatures. She specialises in making miniature clay objects typically found in Hong Kong. In the exhibition, her pieces focus on a life in Hong Kong that is now vanishing due to modernisation. Vivian has a website with items for sale (alas for us English speakers, it's mainly in Chinese and Google translate struggles with it).

Four pieces created by Vivian were on display. My favourite was the joyful store: a traditional store that sells 'pocket money items' like capsule toys, shuttlecocks, kites, hula hoops, snacks and stationery. These stores are part of the childhood memories of most baby boomers who grew up in Hong Kong.

Photo courtesy of The Joyful Miniature Association

 There was also a roast meat shop (oddly enough I didn't take many photos of this one...)

Photo courtesy of The Joyful Miniature Association

 and a traditional grocery store.

Photo courtesy of The Joyful Miniature Association

Photo courtesy of The Joyful Miniature Association

Photo courtesy of The Joyful Miniature Association

Photo courtesy of The Joyful Miniature Association

 The final piece Vivian had on display at the exhibition was a traditional stoneware and ceramics shop. These were common in the 1950s and 60s and many can still be found in Hong Kong today.

Photo courtesy of The Joyful Miniature Association

Photo courtesy of The Joyful Miniature Association

Vivian is one of the miniaturists who is giving demonstrations of their work during the exhibition. Here she is she is at the media preview, showing us how to make a miniature bamboo steamer:

(And I was lucky enough to be given one of her completed sets afterwards).

Vivian will be demonstrating how to make the dim sims to go in her bamboo steamer at 10.30 am today, 

The Hong Kong in Miniature exhibition is on at Westfield Pitt Street during trading hours until September 20.  The final demonstration is on Sunday at 3pm, when Li Loi Yun will showcase how she makes mini plants.

#HongKonginMiniature #MiniHongKong

Hong Kong in Miniature exhibition

I was fortunate enough to be invited to the media preview of the Hong Kong in Miniature exhibition in Sydney on Monday. An exhibition of miniatures in such a public place was exciting enough: but what I didn't know was that the miniature artisits who made the scenes had been flown out from Hong Kong for the duration of the exhibition.

This is Louise Chan, who made three of my favourite scenes on display at the exhibition:

She told me, in her lovely scottish accent, that she started her miniature journey about ten years ago, when she found a shop in a shopping cnetre that sold miniature scenes and items. She was initially only interested in buying and collecting miniature pieces but soon started to experiment with making various miniature items that she couldn't buy.

Louise created this traditional 1960s Hong Kong shoe shop based on the one that featured in the film Echoes of the Rainbow (you can see parts of the shop in the trailer for the movie).

She made all the shoes in the window

(which I couldn't get close enough to take a good photo of, so here's one from the press pack:)

Photo courtesy of the Joyful Miniature Association

And above the shop is a simple office space. Louise pointed out how she used a yellow bulb to get the correct old-fashioned glow to the lamp.

The Hong Kong in Miniature exhibition is on at Westfield Pitt Street during trading hours until September 20. Demonstrations by the miniaturists will be held on Thursday 17 at 10.30 am (Vivian Lee will be making mini dim sims), and on Sunday 20 at 3 pm (Li Loi Yun will showcase how she makes mini plants.)

#HongKonginMiniature #MiniHongKong

Do you instagram?

I was persuaded to join Instagram a few weeks ago by a fellow blogging friend, and am having a lot of fun confusing people with mini scenes that look real (especially ones that parody popular 'looks')

Are you on Instagram? Want to share your handle in the comments so I can follow you?

Futzing around Friday

I'm feeling like I've not got very far with any of the projects I'm working on.

Although the retro caravan has made it to dry-fit stage, which must be a good thing:

Meanwhile I've made no progress on the HBS Creatin' Contest kit. Unless you count blutacking a bulb from a Typo heart marquee light to the outside to remind me to make a lighting plan.

I do have an excuse for this one: the lovely Fran from HBS offered me a second sliding door for the kit, so I'm waiting for that to arrive before I make the final decision between French or sliding doors for the side entries, and cut the necessary holes to fit them...

And the Lundby hack? Well, I have cut the bar floor out of a roll of black sparkly stuff I picked up from Typo (I have no idea what it was originally supposed to be used for), gathered some wallpaper options and pulled out the bag of gold stars I bought for the build.

So, all in all not much progress...

#HBSCreatinContest2015