Date with a diorama: The miniature crafter cooking up a storm

A dusty old garage lies gathering rust. Old-fashioned doors are strewn about. Somewhere else, a group of men and women are watching television, one with the TV remote in hand. On the side is a small reading table, with books, newspapers and pen boxes neatly arranged on top of it.

Staring at this world, so alive, is surreal because it makes the viewer feel like Gulliver. For instance, the reading table is not more than an inch.

Each of the people can be picked up, sitting pretty atop the palm of your hand.

This is the fascinating world of miniatures, more familiar to 90s kids in the commercial form of Polly Pockets.

Miniatures are now enjoying something of a renaissance in Bangladesh, thanks to the dedicated work of Artmistri, which makes dioramas replicating real life.

But before dwelling on the artists behind the revival, one must wonder what attracts us to miniatures?

According to psychologists, when humans – and elephants, too – see something small or adorable, a hormone called oxytocin is released.

This explains the feeling of affection we feel towards small children, animals and even objects.

Others posit that miniatures take us back to our childhood. In the face of small pots, pans and toys, our childhood flashes before our eyes, overwhelming us with a rush of nostalgia.

Artmistri, one of the few institutions working on miniatures in Bangladesh, is being led by Ifaz Mohammad Islam.

He said his team designs their dioramas and other miniatures according to the needs of customers, ensuring the products are delivered to the buyers' doorsteps.

Ifaz's love for miniatures was born from his love of bonsai.

Once the pandemic hit, Ifaz utilised the time, with Covid-19 acting as the catalyst for his foray into the diorama world.

"One day during the pandemic, I was on my way to the market. On the way, I saw a miniature car in a stationery shop. I bought the car on a whim," he said.

But he wasn't satisfied with his die-cast car purchase. It needed a miniature world of its own, Ifaz felt.

"There was no plan to do anything like that," he recalled, but the idea for an endeavour had already been planted.

He started the work of making miniatures. Although there were stumbling blocks initially, he persevered and succeeded through a great, concerted effort.

Ifaz's love affair with miniatures is a tale as old as time. To understand how far the fascination goes, one must journey back around 5,000 years.

A historic affair

Many people put the origins of miniatures to the times of the Egyptians.

At that time, the Egyptians prepared miniature replicas of various boats, animals, and servants to place in the tombs.

The belief behind this was that these miniatures would be brought back to life to join the dead in the astral plane and beyond.

The miniatures were prepared carefully to ensure the dead did not suffer in the afterlife.

Around 400 years ago, Europe also fell for miniatures, this time in the form of doll houses. These doll houses were not limited to children; rather, they were part of the architectural style of Europe. These cabinet-style doll houses were a favourite among the rich in the Netherlands, England and Germany.

The doll houses were also used to teach household chores to children around the 17th century.

A large number of miniatures were produced in the German city of Nuremberg until World War I. The demand for these grew in North America.

The market, however, collapsed once Germany joined the First World War.

To tap into the vacuum, America and Japan started making miniatures.

Notable miniature manufacturers in the United States in the early 20th century included Roger Williams Toys, Schoenhut, Tootsitoy, and Wisconsin Toy.

Closer to the present, Polly Pockets made an appearance around 1990. These were plastic cases that opened to form a dollhouse or other playset with Polly Pocket figurines less than an inch tall. The dolls folded in the middle, like the case, and had circular bases which slotted into holes in the case interior, allowing them to stand securely at particular points in the house.

Artmistri's art

To hone his skills in miniature-making, Ifaz turned to the internet. He pored through the works in the field from people across the world.

It was during this period, when he encountered the diorama of a garage. It was the perfect setting for the die-cast car he had bought.

"At that time, I started looking for someone doing such work in our country. I didn't even know that they were called miniatures. Later, I began working on the project on my own. My primary focus was making things related to cars. The first job was very bad," he said.

Ifaz spent the entirety of 2020 just learning his craft. In 2021, he started announcing his work through his Facebook page, "Artmistri", which instantly piqued the interest of many people.

He also joined other Facebook groups of different countries to showcase his work. The orders began to trickle in bit by bit.

Locally-made, globally-led

Although Ifaz was inspired by miniatures on the internet, he knew he had to work entirely on local materials.

It was difficult to import the raw materials, so he began collecting plastic from where he could find it.

Currently, Ifaz boasts quite a collection of pieces. His crown jewel remains the car he bought and the garage he made for it.

He used a PVC board as the main base of the garage. But realism was key to his work.

"Using the PVC board as a base looks good, but it doesn't look real. So I poured cement on it to make the base," he said.

The next step involved weathering – making an object look old and dirty to add to the authenticity.

For his models, Ifaz chooses either modelling or polymer clay.

While cars are his passion, he also receives orders for various other things, such as Harry Potter libraries to doll houses. He also adds lighting when possible.

Alongside these, he also makes miniature televisions, bookshelves, reading tables, cars of various designs, brooms and shovels.

Ifaz uses an acrylic gloss cover to prevent dust from setting on the miniatures. Upon requests, he also works with glass.

Size does matter

The important thing about a miniature is its size. Ifaz basically works keeping in mind the original size and a 1:64 scale.

Ifaz said, "Working on a small scale is very difficult. The bigger the scale, the easier it is. Those who collect miniature cars generally follow three scales. One is the 64 scale, one is the 43 scale and another is the 18 scale. If divided by the 1:64 scale, the height of the car is two-and-a-half to three inches."

After measurements, it often takes two to three months to make each miniature item.

However, for basic cheaper miniatures, it takes seven to 10 days.

"Many people wonder why they would buy a small thing with so much money. For them, we have the cheaper versions and then they can move to the premium level."

Small or basic miniature prices start from Tk500, while the premium ones can go up to Tk7,500. The higher the price, the finer the quality of work.

Now and after

Ifaz currently makes miniatures at his home in the capital's Mirpur.

He has set up a separate room in the house to function as a factory. He has also taught a few of his younger neighbours to work with him.

But from crafting to photographing and promoting, Ifaz normally works as a one-man team. He also does deliveries when needed.

After entering the world of miniatures, Ifaz realised that there was a large community of miniature collectors in the country. The market, however, hasn't grown much.

He said he got more orders from abroad than from Bangladesh.

"People in foreign countries have a hobby of keeping good collections. Most people here don't have collections," he said.

However, people's interest is increasing after making various posts about miniatures through the Artmistri page on social media, he said

Aside from expanding his customer base, Ifaz also wants to fix the raw material problem.

"Different materials can be bought for miniatures abroad, but there is a shortage in our country. There is also a dearth of people in our country who are knowledgeable about miniatures, which is actually one of the biggest problems in the expansion of this industry."

According to Ifaz, many people still think of miniatures as toys, which was a misconception.

The Sher-e-Bangla Agriculture University student now aims to spread his love for miniatures among the people. He also plans to unite those who work on miniatures.

When asked what is the message for someone new to the world of miniatures, Ifaz said, "Patience is required here. Without patience, there will be frustration. As this is a new thing, there will be unique challenges. But if someone desires to create something new, then I welcome them to this world."