Ever since writing about a $7 million dollhouse and visiting customers upload their own super-tiny homes, I’ve been kind of fascinated with people who deal in all things mini. Filmmaker Mika Johnson shares this fascination. He is the creative director of ArtworkExercise, part nonprofit, part for-profit production company that makes four-minute films about interesting figures in North Ohio to get a series called The Amerikans.
His latest installment, titled “Who Lives There,” is about Dawn Reese, a dollhouse and miniature enthusiast who owns a store called Dolls and Minis, that caters to people with a similar interest. What may surprise some is that her clients are rarely kids. The majority of the 20,000 tiny pieces located in her shop are for adults. The store’s miniature club members range in age from 21 to 92.
Some investigators says a proclivity for dollhouses is about nostalgia; others state it is about control. But one thing’s for certain: Bit by bit it’s easy to get caught up in the small-world details. “Anyone who does that knows it is really, very addictive,” Reese says. “They start taking a look at everything in the actual world to find out if it may be used in the miniature world”
Check out the video and then read more about Reese and mini homes:
Johnson found Reese afterwards randomly walking into her Ohio shop, shown here. Past issues in his short films incorporate an electrician who simplifies bee bites during the night to people who visit his house seeking therapy for various disorders; a funeral home manager; and also a Christian mystic who paints with his beard, Jackson Pollock style.
The aim of these films, says Johnson, will be to show people that interesting characters reside in everyone’s community. “These people are more interesting than the people that typically end up in our websites,” Johnson states. “These portraits are doors into a place that most people don’t know about.”
Reese, who grew up outside London, provides her lilting comment during the film, which serenely excursions three dollhouses that blur the lines between actual and impossibly small. And Reese states that is the best aim: to make people believe they’re taking a look at a real house. “I show people pictures of my dollhouse on my telephone, and they think it’s my actual house,” she states. “That’s really gratifying.”
For the film, Reese spent decorating the three dollhouses featured.
For many who can’t afford their dream house, Reese claims this is a way for people to design it and envision themselves living in it. That’s why just half of dollhouse fans place dolls inside their creations. “Half the people don’t want people in there because they imagine they reside there,” she states. “It sounds strange to some people, but that is their dream house.” Others wish to recreate their youth home.
Reese began by making dolls and miniatures from ceramic but states polymer clay has taken more than making it effortless for anybody to make miniatures at home. Polymer clay comes in a range of colours that you can mix to get the ideal shade — like paint — inhale in a normal home oven. You can then utilize artist chalk to add detail and more color. Aside from that, you can make things from just about anything: newspaper scraps, pieces of timber, old cloth, etc..
The bread shown here was made from polymer clay (most mini food is).
Here, resin figurines sit at a real wood table atop pink vinyl kitchen tile.
“They’re never completely finished, exactly like in a real house,” Reese says. “You’re always collecting items, decorating items for your holidays. You’re watching out for something to go in there. You start as a hobby using inexpensive furniture and then you gradually replace that, exactly like in a real property. Before you move it down to a granddaughter, you remodel and decorate it do it as a family project. It’s especially great in winter when you can’t go outdoors. It’s the ideal family hobby. Dad does all the construction; mother and kids decorate; everyone gets their own room. And no two homes are ever the same.”
These shoes are actually made from leather. If you build a dollhouse yourself, then you can purchase plans for as little as $10 and make the remainder from found materials. Or you can purchase kits that range from $50 to thousands of dollars. Just like a real house, it is whether you would like to do it on a budget, do it yourself or supply it using expensively made pieces.
Check out the video, and have a look at other videos in the short-film collection. Johnson and his team are working on creating a feature film called Amerika that will include cameos in the series’ characters. “Should you take a real interest in your area and develop skills to be a fantastic storyteller, you can make art that must have world class appeal,” he states.
More ways to go mad for miniatures