{"id":74863,"date":"2022-06-08T14:58:03","date_gmt":"2022-06-08T12:58:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dmh.org.il\/?post_type=mt_article&p=74863"},"modified":"2022-08-15T06:49:52","modified_gmt":"2022-08-15T04:49:52","slug":"lilliput-is-right-here","status":"publish","type":"mt_article","link":"https:\/\/www.dmh.org.il\/en\/articles\/lilliput-is-right-here\/","title":{"rendered":"Lilliput is right here"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An interview with Shaul Cohen, one of the artists who made the Train House<\/em> on view in the exhibition \u201cOverdose\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The miniature models of “Train House” make the visitors at the exhibition \u201cOverdose\u201d feel like Gulliver in Lilliput. The book Gulliver\u2019s Travels (1726), which may be enchanting and fascinating to children, was originally written as an allegory of British society. Train House also uses miniatures to express criticism: for the artists who made the work \u2013 Shaul Cohen, Avital Mizrahi, and Neil Nanner \u2013 the model of the building traveling in a circle, never reaching its destination, represents difficulties of housing in Israel and the rundown condition of residential buildings with their failed aesthetics and maintenance. We conversed with Industrial Designer Shaul Cohen about present reality as he sees it, on the difficulty of letting go of the models he makes, and about the micro and macro of his work process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you begin designing miniatures?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October 2019, I participated in an exhibition at the Berlin Museum (as part of Design Week Berlin) where I showed a piece depicting the differences between Israeli Bauhaus and German Bauhaus. This was the first time I attempted to build small objects that would be final models and not sketches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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haul Cohen in his studio. Photo: Courtesy of the artist<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Miniatures houses usually show a perfect world in miniature. What drew you to present the more worn out and damaged side of urban life?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, miniatures usually recreate an era or a perfect, clean scene. It\u2019s not clear to me what attracts miniaturists in making such a false representation. I simply show reality as is, and never choose to make it cleaner or dirtier than the original \u2013 it\u2019s easy for me to imagine the people who used to live in a building with stains or dirt on it, and apparently that\u2019s why I\u2019d always rather make a model of an old building instead of an alienated glass residential tower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you share the work process with us, from initial idea to the last touch of paint?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stage 1 is information gathering. If the building is close by, I go out and photograph it myself. If it\u2019s further away or no longer standing \u2013 I search for every scrap of information possible, blueprints on file with the municipality, or photos in a family album. The second stage comprises rapid sketches of all of the building facets to understand and see all of the details. If it\u2019s a simple building, I build it from PVC foamboard cut with a mat knife; if it\u2019s complex or has many details, I construct a digital 3-D model and print it out. I don\u2019t use a specific scale because I\u2019m not an architect, and don\u2019t really know how to build to scale, so I calculate it by eye. I glue all of the pieces together, do a lot of sanding, use a basic undercoat of paint, and begin to \u201cdirty it up\u201d by brushing on acrylic paint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which buildings attracted you in particular during the work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I began to make miniatures, a simple building with interesting graffiti or a balcony loaded with plants was enough to make me imagine how it would look on a small scale, and I would put it on \u201cmy list.\u201d Now, the buildings which fascinate me the most are the ones with the most moving story behind them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shaul Cohen, Works from 2021. Photo: Nadav Goren. Courtesy of Shaul Cohen<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Not only is your work very Israeli but specifically very “Tel Avivian.\u201d Have you made models of buildings from any other cities or other countries?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tel Aviv has very varied architecture, so it\u2019s really a lot of fun, but to my delight, my studio \u201cspread its wings\u201d and I was able to build quite a lot of miniatures of buildings other cities. One of my favorite models is a building in Bnei Brak (18 HaRav Dangur Street), and recently many commissions from abroad have begun to arrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isn\u2019t it sometimes hard for you to part with the buildings you make?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll say! There are many buildings with which I develop a close connection while working on them, so then I make another model to keep in the studio. It\u2019s not necessarily an emotional connection, sometimes I just see that the model comes out more beautiful than I expected, and then I want one for me, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the weirdest request you ever received?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m ready and waiting for strange requests! And, I\u2019d be very happy if they would present me with a real challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you had unlimited time and budget, which building would you want to model?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have a very long list of buildings I liked and would very much like to build a model of the \u201ctin hall\u201d – Ulam Hapahim<\/em> [the May Day Arena nicknamed the \u201ctin hall\u201d for its roof, former home of Hapoel Holon basketball team] in Holon, where I grew up, or even my childhood home, but I am beginning to realize that I\u2019ll never get to that list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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