Willard Wigan
Willard Wigan, MBE ( born 1957 ) is an English sculptor from Birmingham, England who makes microscopic art. His sculptures are usually placed in one eye of a needle or on a pinhead. A single sculpture can be 0.005 mm in size. In July 2007, was honored with an MBE for his services in the arts Willard Wigan from the Prince of Wales.
Life and work
As a child with undiagnosed dyslexia, Willard Wigan is mocked again and again in his elementary school teachers. Wigan describes his motivation to deal with sculpture, which began at the age of five to escape with his need to ridicule the teacher and classmates. He wanted to show the world that there is nothing that does not exist. This he justified with the fact that, if people were not able to see his work, they could not even question this. Wigan has since aimed to make even smaller artworks that are visible only with a microscope.
The topics of the Wigan - works range from popular culture to architecture. The sculptor often refers in his work to other artists and historical events. His most famous pieces are a reproduction of David by Michelangelo, from a single grain of sand in a miniature version of the Lloyd's building in London carved. Wigan has created a miniature sculpture of Obama with family recently and a statue of astronaut Buzz Aldrin in a bottleneck for the celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the moon landing in 1969. Other works include a microscopic Betty Boop and a copy of FIFA World Cup trophy, both of which are about 0.005 mm high.
Among the collectors of Willards work include Prince Charles, Sir Elton John, the former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, Lord Bath, a former captain of the David Cup Tennis, David Lloyd and music mogul Simon Cowell.
His work is described as phenomenal and as the Eighth Wonder of the World. A highlight of his career was in July 2007 when he was awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II.
Materials and methods
On average it takes about eight weeks to complete a sculpture. Since the objects are microscopically small, the sculptor has learned to control his breathing so that not even the slightest movement caused. Wigan is at work in a meditative state in which his heartbeat is slowed down so that his hands did not tremble, and he only works between heartbeats.
To edit his figures, Wigan uses surgical blades or hand-made tools, some of sharpened tungsten microscopic shards of which are made of. He uses a range of materials including nylon, grains of sand, dust, fibers, gold and spider webs, depending on the requirements of the object at which he works. Among his creations Wigan often used hair of a housefly. His early work included an unknown life-size carved statue of Mike Tyson and the figurehead of Jesus Christ and others who remain in private collections.
Exhibitions
In 2009, Wigan appeared as a guest speaker at the TED conference in Oxford and later this year as a guest on The Tonight Show in the U.S.. On the Tonight Show, he made two of his sculptures in the eye of the needle with the aid of a microscope - one is Buzz Aldrin in a spacesuit alongside the USA flag represents, and a further five characters from Star Wars. Wigan explained that while working on a grain of sand trembling through his own heart beat like a percussion drill acts which carves the tiny particles.
After a series of exhibitions in the UK in 2009 and 2010 he toured the United States.