The Obamas inside the eye of a needle

[question everything]

An artist has created a microscopic sculpture of Barack Obama and his family in tribute to the first black president of the United States.



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/4296808/Barack-Obama-inauguration-artist-Willard-Wigan-creates-microscopic-sculpture.html

And from a story in the WSJ

Mr. Wigan, a 52-year-old Briton, is dyslexic and did poorly in school. Even today, he can barely read or write. Yet, he creates some of the smallest sculptures in the world, relying on nothing more than a scalpel and a microscope to see what he's carving.

His entire piece of Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin standing on the moon fits on the head of a pin. His Statue of Liberty is made from a speck of gold. A recent carving of the Obama family is mounted inside the eye of a needle. Mr. Wigan says he used an eyelash to insert the president into the right slot. Mr. Wigan has made about 160 of these sculptures.



Small is big, and not just for Mr. Wigan. Craftsmen in India, China and elsewhere have been carving or writing on grains of rice and sand for years. But now a handful of artists are going smaller still, often applying the tools of nanotechnology to control matter at a molecular level.

Prince Charles, Mike Tyson and the Marquis of Bath own microscopic sculptures made by Mr. Wigan, which can cost more than $40,000 apiece. A set of 72 such works was acquired by former British tennis player David Lloyd and was insured for £11 million, or about $17 million, in 2007. Mr. Wigan's sculptures usually sit on the head of a pin or inside the eye of a needle, which is then placed inside a transparent dome and illuminated with powerful lights. Batteries -- and a built-in microscope -- are included.

In a bid to attract overseas buyers, Mr. Wigan is now on a tour of the U.S. He says he has received several commissions from American collectors, which will keep him busy until 2010.

(snip)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125426448028050665.html (subscription)

[Kablooie]

1. I hope it's not meant as a political statement.

If it is, it is a very small one anyway.

And beautifully executed I might add.

[question everything]

2. Oh no!

This guy is a genius and clearly the Obamas have been honored here just like... the moon landing!

[Jennicut]

3. How in the world do you make something that small?

I hate threading a needle. This guy has way more patience then I would ever have.

[Barack_America]

4. He painted them with a fly bristle and in between heartbeats.

This story came out a while ago, but those facts stuck with me.

[Jennicut]

5. Wow. I would be ready to hurt something before I could finish.