Arts: The Never-Ending Power of Extra Super Duper Tiny

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Behold The Never-Ending Power of Extra Super Duper Tiny By Heather Murphy Posted Wednesday, Oct 10, 2012, at 02:09 PM ET There is something incredibly powerful about a tiny, carefully placed figure. You can print the biggest,  image in the world, but it is unlikely to halt pedestrians in the same way as an unexpected miniature. In New York, I've come across them occasionally, a tiny businessman on a lamppost or little dog on a water fountain. The experience is incredible, stranger-bonding discovery. The work of Slinkachu, a London-based street artist who has become an international sensation, is not that original in the grand scheme of things. Many have placed tiny figures on streets and photographed them in similar ways before. Still, I could still look at every piece he's created (there are thousands) without growing bored. Super duper mini just doesn't get old. Each scene has its distinct charms. Often it's the contrast between the cuteness of something so tiny and the dark tone of the crime that is threating to take place. Other times it's the way actual-size items (a cockroach or stick of Trident) are incorporated naturally into the creations (insect becomes beast of burden; gum becomes bed.) The images here were taken from Global Model Village: The International Street Art of Slinkachu, a book featuring photos of his street installations close-up as well as far away, in urban context. There are currently exhibits featuring the same work underway in New York and London. It seems, however, that a Slinkachu is best experienced — not in a gallery — but spontaneously on the street.  It ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Do You Know a Gaffe When You See One? Rage or Justice Hard Times in FarmVille	Advertisement
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