February 21, 2025
Art
Kate Mothes

Detail of “Mirthful Miscellanea” (2024), resin, acrylic paint, brass, steel, aluminum, electronics, and wood, 22 x 60 x 16 inches. Photos by Jacques Bellavance. All images © Chris Millar

Chris Millar’s “Mirthful Miscellanea” took one-and-a-half years to complete, and just about every part is made from scratch.

After he graduated from art school, Chris Millar (previously) worked in a toy store for seven years. “The shop, now defunct, was called Livingstone and Cavell Extraordinary Toys in Calgary, Alberta, Canada,” he tells Colossal. The store carried classics like tin wind-ups, electric trains, dolls, miniature soldiers, and teddy bears.

Millar’s latest extravagantly detailed work was one-and-a-half years in the making and takes inspiration from the joys of toy shops and flea markets. He incorporates resin, acrylic paint, brass, steel, aluminum, electronics, and wood into elaborate kinetic spectacles. Every part of is made from scratch with the exception of a few gears.

“Mirthful Miscellanea” channels an imaginary, fantastical curio shop run by two brothers named Wade and Snyder. “Their portraits can be seen in a few areas of the sculpture,” Millar says. “Wade is an expert in medieval musical instruments and roast chicken, and Snyder in antiquarian circus paraphernalia.”

The piece follows in the footsteps of a work titled “Eclipse at Arc Valley” that incorporates a clockwork mechanism, but this new sculpture further elaborates on the design with a more complex mechanism and a base that emits sound from a music box, two gongs, and six bells.

Source: A Miniature Musical Curio Shop by Chris Millar Spins Like Clockwork