Big city.
Small workbench.
Miniature transit and paper architecture, built after dinner in Chicago. A workshop notebook by Felix Arden.
| Part | Material |
|---|---|
| Platform | Grey card |
| Window strips | Clear packaging |
| Street surface | Painted paper |
A whole neighbourhood, if I keep it small
My workbench is a folding table in the corner of a Chicago dining room. At dinner time it holds plates; afterwards it becomes a tiny street. I build imaginary transit scenes from card, paper, and the useful bits of packaging that other people sensibly throw away. The goal is a convincing place, not a perfect replica.
The current project is a short elevated platform beside a canal. It has one stairway, two lamps, and a yellow car that will never run on anything except imagination. I have spent three evenings getting the platform edge straight. The little paper notice board took ten minutes and is somehow the part I like best.
This site records what happened between a loose sketch and an object that can sit on a shelf. The Canal Street build follows one scene through its awkward middle. The maker’s page explains why I keep collecting cereal-box card. I leave the imperfect pieces in the photographs I take for my own records; they help me remember what to change next time.