Noddy Holder through the eye of a needle: pinhead pop art – in pictures
Is Willard Wigan the steadiest hand in art? From Michelangelo to Usain Bolt and scenes from Frozen, his tiny sculptures celebrate pop culture in miniature
Thu 10 Mar 2016 07.00 GMT Last modified on Wed 19 Oct 2022 15.25 BST
Noddy Holder
Only artist Willard Wigan could fit the former Slade frontman through a needle. Holder’s belt buckle is made of fragments of white gold from the singer’s own chain• Willard Wigan: Homecoming is at Light House Media Centre, Wolverhampton. from 12 March-2 MayAll sculptures: Willard Wigan Share on Facebook Share on TwitterHands
Wigan’s work – such as this reinterpretation of Michelangelo – is typically mounted in the eye of a needle and can only be viewed under a microscopePhotograph: Guy Bell/Rex/Shutterstock
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He painstakingly creates his works over weeks and months, using minuscule self-made tools to carve the figuresPhotograph: Willard Wigan
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The materials he works with range from grains of rice or sugar, to nylon fibres and tiny slivers of goldPhotograph: Guy Bell/Rex/Shutterstock
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Wigan even uses spiders’ webs in some of his sculpturesPhotograph: Willard Wigan
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His miniature sculptures often draw on pop culture, such as this scene from the blockbuster animated filmPhotograph: Willard Wigan
Share on Facebook Share on TwitterUsain Bolt
A recreation of the Jamaican sprinter’s victory celebration at the London 2012 Olympics, seen under the microscopePhotograph: Guy Bell/Rex/Shutterstock
Share on Facebook Share on TwitterAlice in Wonderland
Wigan’s first attempt at the Mad Hatter’s tea party scene from Alice in Wonderland literally disappeared into thin air – he inhaled itPhotograph: Rex/Shutterstock
Share on Facebook Share on TwitterChrist the Redeemer
Any false movement, sharp or otherwise, can scupper progress, so Wigan tries to enter a meditative state while he works – this helps him to slow his heartbeat, reduce hand tremors and sculpt between pulse beatsPhotograph: Guy Bell/Rex/Shutterstock
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Even public art is captured – this horse is a nod to a sculpture in Wolverhampton’s Queen SquarePhotograph: Willard Wigan
Share on Facebook Share on TwitterThe Last Supper
The world’s greatest micro-sculptor was made an MBE in 2007. He developed his skill after learning differences and bullying made him withdraw into his own miniature worldPhotograph: Willard Wigan
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‘I have the steadiest hand on the planet,’ says Willard Wigan. ‘I’d happily take on the challenge against a machine to create a smaller sculpture’Photograph: Guy Bell/Rex/Shutterstock
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