At first glance, these elaborate rooms appear as normal, everyday places. Once you look closer, however, you’ll see that a human hand easily dwarfs the architecture and everything is on a minuscule scale. They’re part of the Muse Miniature et Cinma in Lyon, France, a five-story museum that contains over 100 hyperreal miniature film sets. The incredible attention to detail, including subtle lighting arrangements and replication of old textures, is why we’re mislead into thinking that each set is life-size.
To create these awe-inspiring works, skilled artisans from around the world have used their same techniques to produce smaller versions of the real things. Actual cabinet-making, string instruments, leather craft, and more are all part of the grand illusion, as are chiseled eggs, tiny origami, and sculpted matches. Magnifying glasses allow you to study the intricate characteristic of the exquisite works.
The hyperreal scenes of master miniaturist and Museum curator Dan Ohlmann are on display in Muse Miniature et Cinma. He is formerly a cabinetmaker and inner architect, and all of his creations are based on careful research–hundreds of photographs, measurements taken at the real locations, and gathering as much information as he can about a site. With this meticulous process, it’s no wonder that the fabrication itself can take many months to perfect.
If you’re local to Lyon or are visiting there, the Museum is open throughout the year.
Muse Miniature et Cinma: