The World’s Smallest Sculptures Fit in the Eye of a Needle
All artwork is vulnerable to certain threats: sunlight, moisture, improper handling, or neglect, to name a few. The world’s smallest sculptures can fall victim to something else entirely. “I was working on a piece featuring Alice in Wonderland, and I accidentally inhaled Alice,” artist Willard Wiggins says.
Wiggins is a micro sculptor; his work fits in needle eyes, pin heads, even eyelashes. A few years back, when he was placing the titular girl into a sculpture of the Mad Hatter’s tea party, he took in a breath, and suddenly Alice was gone. “It worked out in the end, because I made another Alice that was better,” he says.
Wiggins has been making mini items since he was just five years old. “I had a hard time in school because I had autism, and it wasn’t diagnosed in the ’60s,” he explains. Unsupportive teachers made him feel less than, and he ended up spending a lot of time away from classes in his family’s garden. One day, his dog was digging near the fence line to reach a ball, and a swarm of ants started pouring out of the earth. “And I started making houses and little tables and chairs for ants,” he says. “I didn’t think it was anything special until one of the other kids in the neighborhood looked over the fence and told me how amazing it was. It was like being in a shower, hearing it washed away everything that was said by the school teachers.”
From then on, he continued making miniature sculptures, overtime learning how to achieve smaller and smaller results. While his original ant houses were made from cardboard and wood, today he uses a number of materials to craft his projects, everything from small pieces of gold, zip ties, and even sand grains. “Anything that I can carve works,” he explains. Below, AD speaks with Wiggins about his process, notable projects, and the endless beauty to be found in the world’s smallest things.
Photo: Paul Ward Photograph, Courtesy of Willard Wiggins1/10“To make this type of work, you have to make different types of tools,” Wiggins explains. He makes most of these mini utensils from things like acupuncture needles and even uses his own eyelashes as paintbrushes.
Photo: Paul Ward Photograph, Courtesy of Willard Wiggins2/10However, it takes more than just a micro drill or tiny brush to pull off what he does. Every tiny movement matters and even a subtle change, like the pulse in his fingertips, can throw off the work. “I learned to work between my heartbeat and slow down my breathing,” he explains.
Photo: Paul Ward Photograph, Courtesy of Willard Wiggins3/10The sculptor admits that the process is not alway fun, but it’s the connection that others feel with his work that makes it worth it. “I did an exhibition once, and one of the people who came to see it was a boxer and heavyweight champion. “He said, ‘I’ve never been knocked down before until I saw your work.’ And that made me realize what I’ve achieved,” Wiggins adds.
Photo: Paul Ward Photograph, Courtesy of Willard Wiggins4/10However, Queen Elizabeth was perhaps Wiggins’s most prominent patron. One day, he got a letter from Buckingham Palace saying that Her Majesty would be happy to accept the micro crown Wiggins crafted for her. “She looked down the microscope and said ‘I don’t believe what I’m seeing,’ and it’s amazing to get that kind of reaction,” he remembers.
Photo: Paul Ward Photograph, Courtesy of Willard Wiggins5/10Inspiration comes from the world around him. “I miniaturize life,” he says. Here, the Taj Mahal balances on the tip of pin.
Photo: Paul Ward Photograph, Courtesy of Willard Wiggins6/10In addition to the Taj Mahal, Wiggins has sculpted a number of other iconic buildings, such as the Burj Khalifa.
Photo: Paul Ward Photograph, Courtesy of Willard Wiggins7/10“This one drove me mad,” the artist says. “Trying to get the tails and the top hat right drove me crazy.” The piece was certainly one of his most challenging, but it makes it that much more satisfying to complete. “I’m improving all the time,” he adds.
Photo: Paul Ward Photograph, Courtesy of Willard Wiggins8/10To him, creating the world’s smallest sculptures is like “making a key, the smallest key in the world, but it opens the biggest door in the world: getting my PhD, meeting the queen, and becoming a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE),” he says.
Photo: Paul Ward Photograph, Courtesy of Willard Wiggins9/10Like many artists, Wiggins often uses his work to comment on the world he lives in. This piece, explores the climate crisis and depicts a polar bear and ice cap on a bite-size watch.
Photo: Paul Ward Photograph, Courtesy of Willard Wiggins10/10Still, there is a message to be found in all of his work, even those without a specific social commentary. “My mom used to say, ‘You can say everything and mean nothing, and say a few words and mean everything,’” he adds. “So the little things that we do can make the biggest difference in our life. I always think about the importance of the little things.”
