Arts / Yell food co-op catches the eye of tiny model maker
A PHOTOGRAPHER with a penchant for making tiny models of buildings such as pubs and restaurants has made a miniature version of a food cooperative in Yell.
Katy Bridgestock, who is based in Glasgow, was taken by the Burravoe Co-op during a visit to Shetland in August – so much so she made a tiny model of it.
It is particularly small – 4.5cm by 6.5cm – and now features in a photo alongside a model character called Moira. In comparison a pound coin is around 2.3cm in diameter.
Bridgestock first started making tiny buildings during the first lockdown in 2020, when she made a model of the Laurieston pub in Glasgow.
“My process involves me taking several photographs of the building I’m interested in, then cutting up the prints to make a 3D collage,” she said.
“This may also include hand-drawn signage, illustration and, in the case of the Burravoe Food Co-op, embroidery.
“I then take the models and photograph them either at home or nearby usually with one of my tiny people.”
Bridgestock said she has worked in social housing for many years and said she is drawn to buildings that give a sense of an active community.
“The buildings that catch my eye are usually the ones that people might not typically notice but which for me have a liveliness or spirit about them,” she added.
“I absolutely loved being in Shetland. The scenery is breathtaking, but what I loved most were the signs of active community spirit wherever we went.
“I obsessively photographed the many honesty boxes we encountered – the Little French Cafe at the Uyeasound Pier and Bobby’s bus shelter in Baltasound on Unst were particular highlights.
“The Burravoe food Co-op stood out for me, from its functional pre-fab construction to its unpretentious handwritten sign. It just made me happy.”
Since her first model Bridgestock has created a series of tiny creations, including the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in London (as seen below) and Glasgow’s Queens Cafe.
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