Lilliputian London

Oh, how I wish I was in London again.

All of my life, I have had an obsession with miniatures. There's something just charming about an item that has been reduced in size, but still maintains its form and function. In the 7th grade, there was a girl I knew named Martha, and she had the most darling miniature dollhouse. I dreamt that one day I could have something as lovely as what she had. I also kept articles about famous dollhouses that were commissioned by royalty, where the chandeliers actually lit up, the sinks had running water, and the books could be read, with the aid of a magnifying glass, of course.

This is why I'm very excited about an exhibit that unfortunately I cannot attend, but I can still appreciate the artistic persepctive. At Paul Smith's Albemarle Street store in London, there is currently an exhibit of Japanese photographer Naoki Honjo's latest work. Using a method known as tilt-shift photography, and shooting from somewhere up high, such as on top of a building or from a helicopter, Honjo manages to reduce one's depth perception, thereby making real settings look like artificial lilliputian villages. In the past, his works have only been of Japan, so I wish I could be in London to see his works of all the famous UK landmarks. Wouldn't that be a wonderful souvenier, to bring back a photo that captures all the excitement and chaos of this wonderful city into little enchanted fairylands?

The exhibit ends Oct. 12th, so if you're in the area, definitely take a look, and if you do get to see it in person, let me know how it went! Were the photographs worth purchasing? If the price was too steep, there's also Honjo's book, "Small Planet." I'm going to order that real soon.

Paul Smith - Naoki Honjo "Small Planet" exhibit - 09.28.07 - 10.12.07 - £3,000 per piece of work

"Small Planet," by Naoki Honjo - £21.50