TV Series Mr. Robot features Diorama of New York

Fans of the television series Mr. Robot, may have noticed the large scale diorama of New York City featured in Episode 9 when Angela looks for Elliot in their childhood haunt, the Queens Museum.

 

Conceived by the infamous Robert Moses for the 1964 World's Fair, the Panorama of The City of New York was built by architectural model makers, Lester & Associates, who employed over 100 workers to complete the 1:1200 scale model from 1961 to 1964. The total area of the finished diorama is 9,355 square feet. 

View of Downtown Manhattan on the Panorama, c. 1985. Photo by Dan Cornish, Esto

So if you're looking for a new haunt, check out this awesome miniature model of the Big Apple.

Fun Fact: Two crew members left their names spelled in shrubbery. So if you visit, look for Bill and Ed somewhere in Jamaica Bay...

View of Queens Museum, New York State Pavilion, and the Unisphere on the Panorama of the City of New York

visit the Queens Museum online for more info: queensmuseum.org

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Alan Wolfson-Urban Miniaturist

Alan Wolfson creates miniature detailed replicas of urban places that feel like diorama time capsules.  His latest work, "Katz's Deli/Closing Time"- 2012 is eerily specific in it's keen detail.

"Katz's Deli/Closing Time"- 2012-Alan Wolfson

"Katz's Deli/Closing Time"- Alan Wolfson 2012

"Katz's Deli/Closing Time"- Alan Wolfson 2012

"Katz's Deli/Closing Time"- Alan Wolfson 2012

That keen detail is apparent in all of Wolfson's work, which can be seen in museums and private collections around the world.

"Occupied Hotel Room"-1979

"Peepworld"-2007

"True Love in Brooklyn"-1990

"LaBrea Gasland"-1997

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Madurodam-Awesome Miniature Park in Holland

Need another reason to visit Holland?  Why not visit Madurodam Miniature Park?  Open since 1952, it's inspired a generation of miniaturists and other theme parks worldwide.

Madurodam in Scheveningen, The Hague, Netherlands

Madurodam in Scheveningen, The Hague, Netherlands

Madurodam in Scheveningen, The Hague, Netherlands

Madurodam in Scheveningen, The Hague, Netherlands

Here's a video that gives you an idea of the experience (in case you can't make the trip quite yet).

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The Invention of the Diorama-Daguerre and Bouton

In 1822 Louis Daguerre , a painter and stage decorator, along with painter Charles Marie Bouton, invented "realistic illusion shows" or Dioramas.  Together they opened The Diorama in Paris a venue to show their large scale panorama paintings, with special light effects.

woodcut of The Diorama Paris, c. 1830

With light, forced perspective and a couple cranks of moving mechanisms, Daguerre and Bouton turned paintings into moving scenes.

Painting: Ruins in Fog, Charles Bouton c.1823

Here is a video recreation of the Daguerre and Bouton Diorama. Although, the video is in French (without subtitles)-it requires very little translation, as it visually demonstrates the technique that Daguerre and Bouton invented, which is clearly the precursor to modern cinema.


                           

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Diorama Artist Donates Work to Museum

Diorama Artist, Peggy Burnett, 81, donated what was once a hobby of capturing childhood memories to a Heritage Museum in Utah.  Read the Full Article Here.

photo Spenser Heaps- One of  Burnett's dioramas on display at the Orem Heritage Museum .  

One of Peggy Burnett's dioramas, entitled "The Borrowers" after the children's fantasy novel, on display at the Orem Heritage Museum on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. Burnett has been making dioramas since the 1970s.

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