Chisel & Mouse was started by Robert & Gavin Paisley in 2011. Having gone from hobbyists to professional model makers, they make high quality, handmade resin models of famous structures - from palaces to stadiums - using local UK resources.
Using 3D printing for rapid prototyping of their models, they then return to traditional techniques of sculpting, mould making and plaster casting to build the finished models in their Sussex, England studio. The result is an inspired collection of high-quality models of famous and unusual American, Scottish and British architectural buildings and structures.
Made of a very hard resin plaster, the buildings, some of which have etched brass or nickel details, are beautiful objets d'art for mantels, bookshelves and end tables.
The resin plaster is free of toxic solvents and the bases and some of the backs of the models are covered in black felt. Each product is shipped in a black presentation box and neatly packed with an informative description of the building.
Not yet available but coming soon are the following models:
See all of their available models and order them online here at Chisel & Mouse
Chisel & Mouse, Victoria Cottage, Dodds Bank, Nutley, East Sussex, TN22 3LR, United Kingdom | +44(0)1273 251335 | store@chiselandmouse.com
Miniature Models of Buildings by Chisel & Mouse Are The Perfect Touch For Architecture Lovers.
Small Scale Models of Decaying Homes Built and Photographed by Ofra Lapid.
Broken houses is a series of images of dilapidated and abandoned buildings, destroyed by weather, decay and neglect. Artist Ofra Lapid found photos of these homes and buildings on the web while pursuing an amateur photographer from North Dakota (name not disclosed) who obsessively documents the decaying process of these houses- not unlike these wonderful artists who are also obsessed with decaying and abandonded homes. Ofra then built small scale models of these and photographed them again, omitting the backgrounds and placing them on grey fields.
Ofra at work in her studio:
Model of one of her Broken Assembled Houses (as she calls them) prior to being photographed::
The result is the following series of digital pigment prints (cropped for this blog post) sized 30×36 cm (16”x18”):
Ofra describes her work as follows:
"The point of departure for my photographic works is in images found on the Internet. I browse around the virtual space in search of raw material. The main subjects of my research are domestic environments and various architectural structures, as well as routine cityscapes. The images at which I point are those of the unusual, bizarre, fantastic, catastrophic, tragic, poetic, funny, surreal; ones which were free to download. The use of web-based images gives me the freedom to appropriate both image and context, namely the story behind it, the subject matter. I enjoy manipulating the original photograph: erase; cut, copy, and paste; print; create crafty models; build something broken; create an illusion; change the meaning; emphasize something from the past (of no obvious relevance); photograph a photograph; enlarge something that is very small; meet new people; discover remote parts of the world; be in many places at once; humanize the computer; settle conflicts. Art for me is a good way to resolve the relentless conflicts existing in everyday life. It is a way to communicate, respond, and negotiate every thought, every action, every lasting desire."
Ofra Lapid
