A record-breaking micro artist has revealed how he started creating sculptures so small, they fit into the eye of a needle.
Dr Willard Wigan MBE holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s smallest hand sculptures, and much of his work is invisible to the naked eye, with some of the smallest measuring 0.005 mm.
Growing up with dyslexia and autism, he struggled at school but he says getting lost in the microscopic world helped him.
“I was born to do this because as soon as I saw something small, I was fascinated with it as far back as I can remember,” he said.
“I found me in the microscopic world.
“I was five or six years old and I found my dad’s razor blade. I broke a piece of razor blade off, with a twig held in my hand and I started sculpting little houses, building a whole village for ants.”
Now 64, Willard has created all sorts of sculptures throughout his life, including some so small they fitted in the eye of a needle.
Willard continues to follow his late mother’s advice; “the smaller your work, the bigger your name” and challenges himself by striving to make each work even smaller than the one before.
Most of his pieces require a microscope to be seen but Willard has recently partnered with phone brand OPPO to show off his latest work through a phone lens.
The pictures include a little house with a conservatory, a replica of Mount Rushmore and a sculpture of Hungarian violinist Joanna Martzy, all captured on the OPPO Find X3 Pro, which uses a microlens to magnify up to 60 times.
The video also gives a behind-the-scenes look at how Willard works, showing him looking into a microscope while making tiny adjustments, and then viewing the finished product on the phone.
He also uses the phone to get a close-up view of objects, which help to inspire his work and he hopes technology like this will encourage others to explore the microscopic world too.
Willard Wigan said: “I’m genuinely so impressed by the microlens on the Find X3 Pro, which is the only smartphone I’ve ever used which can capture my microscopic art, shining a new light on my creations.
“I’m excited for people to discover the microscopic world and discover the smaller things in life in a spectacular way.”
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