Miniatures

The physical characteristics of 'cuteness' (a larger head in proportion to the body, large eyes, clumsiness, a plump, rounded body, and soft body surfaces) engenders something profound in the human psyche. Konrad Lorenz in the 1940s suggested that cuteness evokes protective or nurturing feelings in humans and other mammals, creating a strong evolutionary drive to ensure that helpless infants are cared for (Langin-Hooper 2015:62; Millhauser 1983). Miniature objects are just as...
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The physical characteristics of 'cuteness' (a larger head in proportion to the body, large eyes, clumsiness, a plump, rounded body, and soft body surfaces) engenders something profound in the human psyche. Konrad Lorenz in the 1940s suggested that cuteness evokes protective or nurturing feelings in humans and other mammals, creating a strong evolutionary drive to ensure that helpless infants are cared for (Langin-Hooper 2015:62; Millhauser 1983). Miniature objects are just as irresistible as miniature objects-tiny reproductions of things on a scale that simultaneously evokes awe, fascination, curiosity and engagement. Unlike large objects, miniatures are non-threatening and their intricate detail demands they be examined closely. In the process, miniatures become a reflection of our fascination about the world, the memories we want to keep, and what, in its most condensed form, we want to say about our society, our history and ourselves.