ELGIN PARK: Visual Memories of Midcentury America at 1/24th scale

Michael Paul Smith s Elgin Park is a lot of things: a mid-century utopia, a fantastical world, and an optical illusion. The imaginative town composed entirely of miniatures delights audiences worldwide, attracting to date more than 80 million views on Flickr. At first glance, Michael s work appears to be wonderful photographs from a bygone era. The awe slips in as it becomes clear that he not only created the photographs without using Photoshop but also built everything in each scene except the cars, which are 1/24th-scale diecast models from his extensive collection. Michael constructs much of what is barely visible in the photos: shoeboxes, furniture, stage lights, a lawnmower, and machines in the laundromat. A close inspection of each photograph takes your breath away: even the gravel, snow, and tire tracks are to scale. Many of the photographs were taken outdoors against natural backgrounds in the artist s neighborhood but the models, scenarios, stories, and humor are pure talent and imagination.