Reduced-Scale Architecture

In addition to architects who create small-scale models of buildings in preparation for their full-size constructions, artist and artisans throughout history have produced miniaturized versions of architectural structures. Funerary goods from all around the world—from ancient China to Egypt, Greece, and Rome—include miniature buildings that symbolize dwellings in the afterlife, while the reliquaries of the European middle ages often assumed the form of a tiny chapel or baldachin. Following in this tradition, contemporary artists like Alex Hartley and Renato Nicolodi use micro-architecture to explore notions of space, seclusion, and contemplation. Thai designer Worapong Manupipatpong, for example, creates tree house–like installations in gallery spaces, drawing attention to the scale of architectural spaces and evoking a sense of childhood nostalgia.