How often does it happen that you spend a couple of days in a tiny piece of paradise and then say to yourself, I wish I could stay here forever? Or, the alternative – I wish I could take this home with me?
Well, when it comes to Croatian islands, that second wish just might come true.
Croatian ship modeler Nenad Bojmić makes stunning miniatures inspired by Adriatic islands, complete with tiny traditional houses made of stone and even tinier wooden boats about to dock at the pier. The incredible level of detail is fascinating in itself, but gets even more impressive when there's something in the photo to make you realize how small the fragments actually are:
The models are part of his 'Island Project' (Projekt Otok), the upcoming exhibition he's opening in Tkon on August 4, 2017. All of the exhibits took a total of 7000 hours to make – let that sink in.
Bojmić is a member of the Croatian Association of Ship Modelers, and participates at all national and international modeling competitions. In an interview for Morski.hr, he stated he'd been making ship models for almost 40 years, but after a certain period had passed, he started getting the impression that something was missing.
"With time, I realised that a model on its own isn't a complete solution, especially when it comes to traditional shipbuilding. I always had the thought that a ship without people or any environmental context can't show all of its beauty and purpose. That's why I displayed the first ship models with human figurines on board back in 1993 at the exhibition MIM 93 in the Technical Museum in Zagreb. After that, an idea has slowly taken shape: to unite ships, people and islands in a single diorama." said Bojmić.
He explained his modeling process, saying he sees each individual project as a sum of separate elements. "The first is the Architecture of Environment. It describes the space our ancestors shaped according to their personal needs. The second component is the Architecture of Habitation. It shows the appearance and the organisation of living spaces. The Architecture of Ships has to do with the shipbuilding techniques, the appearance and the purpose of traditional boats, one of the most important factors for people living on islands. The fourth component: the people. I had the need to fill the models with people who have their own stories, so I'm making microsculptures, little figurines out of olive wood, carving them with a tiny knife." explained the modeler.
Once again, you probably don't have the right mental image of how tiny that knife is. Take a look:
The final results are disarmingly charming, perfect little snippets of island environments. Here's one more photo for you to enjoy, and if you get a chance to visit Tkon in August, make sure to stop by the exhibition to admire the work in person.
Photo credit: Nenad Bojmić for Morski.hr
