Mykola Syadrystyi's Miniature World
A sculpture made on the inside of a hollowed out grape seed.
When I was a kid my mom had asked me if I wanted to see a flea shod like a horse, and at first I thought she was pulling my leg, but she was not. Turns out there was an exhibition in Lviv of Mykola Syadrystyi’s works and this was one of them – a flea shod with unbelievably tiny little golden horseshoes.
A fancy flea made of gold. Inset: an actual flea with golden horseshoes.
Mykola Syadrystyi, colloquially called “The One Who Shod The Flea”, has not only a great sense of humor, but is the artist that singlehandedly popularized “microminiature art” in Ukraine. Now he has a permanent exhibition in Kyiv, and as you probably already guessed, you actually need to look through microscopes to see his works.
Bet you haven't seen (or barely seen?) a museum quite like this before!
And you really do need the help. That's because those golden horseshoes on the flea’s legs have a thickness of five microns. Their width is just 60 microns (the diameter of a human hair).
Before we get to more of his astounding creations, let's learn more about the artist.
_______________________________
Larger Than Life
Mykola’s art might be small, but his life story is much larger.
Mykola was born in 1937 during the height of Stalin’s terrors in the small village of Kolisnykivka in the Kharkiv region – an area that had been incredibly hard hit by Holodomor, the genocide of millions of Ukrainians perpetrated by the soviet regime.
We wrote in detail about the Holodomor in these posts:
Holodomor I | Holodomor II | Holodomor III
Mykola graduated from the Kharkiv Agricultural Institute and worked as an agronomist in the Zakarpattia Seed Control Laboratory, but then went into the direction of engineering at the Institute of Superhard Synthetic Materials. Being a very multifaceted person, he also became an accomplished athlete in underwater sports, earning top spots in Ukrainian championships. He said that his deep study of yoga helped to achieve his athletic goals and hold his breath for longer than most.
As someone deeply affected by totalitarian regimes, his other mission in life has been to research and document the history of fascism, communism, and nazism. He author archival articles for the Memorial to the Victims of Holodomor in Ukraine and has presented his research in Ukraine and abroad.
The artist is a famous archivist of Holodomor records.
_______________________________
Honey, I Shrunk the Everything
A tiny flower sculpture placed in the inside of a hollowed-out hair. The flower is 0.05mm wide.
But of course what he is most known for is his microminiatures.
As far back as the 1960’s, these little marvels earned him international recognition and landed him many world records, as he was the creator of one of some of the world’s smallest items. While only some of them still hold world records, in their time they were peerless.
He created what was once the smallest book ever created, his Kobzar by Taras Shevchenko, and other items like the world’s smallest chess set, the world’s smallest smallest mechanical device, a mechanical lock.
A chess set on the head of a pin.
A tea set on a grain of sugar.
A windmill planted in the center of a poppy seed.
A watercolor painted on the inside of an apple seed.
Desert scene inside the head of a pin. Turns out it IS easy for a camel to do this!
According to him, the creation of these objects is no small feat:
“You mustn't leave the room, and cleanliness must be impeccable: not a single speck of dust. I sit over the microscope, sweating, wearing only underwear, with a different mindset: there must be no doubt in my movements because it travels through the nervous system, and my hand might tremble.”
In fact, his experience with holding his breath underwater may have been a boon. Describing what it takes to create such miniature objects, he once said:
“To achieve it you need to have certain knowledge and experience in design, composition and plastics. Besides, you must be perfectly acquainted with properties of all materials to be used in your craft, and be able to control your body to perform particularly delicate arm motions between heartbeats.”
I hope you enjoy entering the miniaturized world of Mykola Syadrystyi!
_______________________________
The 910th day of a ten-year invasion that has been going on for centuries.
One day closer to victory.
🇺🇦 HEROIAM SLAVA! 🇺🇦
by duellingislands
1 comment
Fun pictures 🙂