Voyiazis – Lori Nix

Nix, Lori. Mastodon. Lori Nix, 2009. http://www.lorinix.net/unnatural-history/6d4rjd2nokqrtlwc38y86qpzvvgekh. 

Lori Nix’s Mastodon from the collection “Empire” is quite interesting to look at, upon macro and micro observations. Firstly, given the context of Lori Nix’s past projects and seeing her process through a peer’s presentation, the end results of her miniature construction and composition are just stunning. Her level of detail and realism is unparalleled and this mastodon piece is no exception. What caught my attention first was the detail put into the model of the model of the mastodon. This looks as if you were peering in a window to some sculptor’s studio and this partially constructed model was not yet ready for exhibition. The miniaturization of the paper mache technique was a very enjoyable touch of realism. I also find it fun how the most legible newspaper piece actually reads “gotcha” as if it were waiting for the viewer to find and read it. Additionally, the inclusion of an even smaller miniature model of the mini model is perched atop a stool which adds to the realism and really made me question whether or not this was a model or not. The addition of the curtain in the background is also particularly interesting because I know that it’s really hard to get the correct fabric texture in miniature, so I imagine it took a while to find that piece of cloth that looks to scale with the rest of the piece. The piece is also shot from a great perspective, one that feels as though it’s human height in the scale of the room. Finally, the monochroma of the piece helps it greatly because I feel that if color were included, it would have been too busy and the finer details would have been overlooked.