Artist Joshua Smith turns his attention to Hong Kong in the latest miniature design spotlighting the Bui Kee Mahjong Shop. He is an expert is capturing the urban decay of a space and the gritty architecture that is prominent in the busy space.
The design took three months to complete and is an accurate version of the shop itself, which is one of the last ones still standing in Hong Kong. Every detail is made by hand and features intricate accents down to the customers, display cases, signage, and the fluorescent lamps. All of these details are made by hand based off of online photos as reference visuals. With closer looks, the tiles of the floor are carefully chipped to evoke the same look as the original.
Miniature Mahjong Shop Designs
Joshua Smith Creates a Mini Iteration of the Biu Kee Mahjong Shop
Trend Themes
1. Miniature Design - There is opportunity to innovatively recreate physical spaces, such as stores and buildings in miniature form.
2. Urban Decay Replication - There is opportunity to create realistic and accurate miniature replicas of urban spaces to capture the true essence of each location despite its state of decay.
3. Handmade Artistry - There is opportunity to create intricate handmade artistry on small scales, showcasing immense detail and skill to create stunning final products.
Industry Implications
1. Art - The art industry can explore the potential of mixing miniature design with handcrafted details to create unique and visually stunning pieces.
2. Architecture - The architecture industry can use miniature design to create concept models of urban buildings and spaces before constructing them in real life.
3. Retail - The retail industry can use miniature design and modeling to envision store concepts and interior designs, to test layouts and bring it to life.