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Willard Wigan, Sculptor Extraordinaire If, like us, you thought that British art today was entirely a conceptual affair, all unmade beds and sliced up livestock with no place anymore for physical skill and honed talent, you'll be amazed and delighted at the work of Willard Wigan, a sculptor from Birmingham. His work is like nothing we've ever come across before, and is genuinely breathtaking. |
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This sculpture of the Statue of Liberty for instance - quite nice, you think...unusual surround to it - what's that? Well, it's a needle. It's actually a sculpture done in the eye of a sewing needle.
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This dinosaur is another eye-of-the-needle job, even smaller than the statue above. I don't know, but I expect he's done the camel too. He actually sculpts using a sliver of powdered glass glued to the point of a pin, holding his breath for long periods and applying cuts between heartbeats. One of the biggest problems he has is losing a piece to a slight breeze or vibration, or most commonly, static electricity. The only technology he allows himself to use is a microscope, for sculptures which are too small for the naked eye to see. Below is possibly the most staggering of these four particular pieces, a ship on a grain of sugar. This stuff is a perfect physical illustration of what can be achieved when the power of human concentration is allied to will and hard work. The man's well named! |
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Photos: South West News, Art International Management |
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Further information about Willard Wigan and exhibitions of his work can be found at www.willard-wigan.com
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