The table is laid for two. A box of cereal, carton of milk and bottle of marmite are arranged neatly at the centre. On the kitchen counter, among the saucepans and utensils, a loaf of bread is being sliced – perhaps the person at the task will return at any moment. Absorbed in the scene before me, it takes a moment to remember that I am a visitor in a miniature world – a world created by Trudi Malalgoda Amadoru, Director of Mini Mago Inc.
As a child, Trudi had always been fascinated by all things small. It was not enough to merely play with her dolls – she also sewed their clothes, dressed them up with accessories and furnished little homes for them. This love for miniatures would later find expression in a hobby, as a collector, and now, as a professional miniature-maker, creating captivating spaces in which reality seems to have shrunk to the size of your thumb.
“You can make practically anything in miniature,” explains Trudi, who has been experimenting with various techniques and styles for the past three years. “Dresses, cosmetics, accessories, food and books – all it takes is some imagination and creativity.” Her room boxes, or boxes showcasing the miniatures, are built on a 1:12 scale, and the basic furniture itself, such as beds, tables and chairs are manufactured abroad. Each box features a different area in a home such as the living, dining, kitchen, bathroom and nursery.
Once she decides on a particular area and furniture, Trudi begins to fill in the finer details, such as the wallpaper, linen and accessories. A basket by the living room sofa is filled with a collection of popular DVD’s, each one individually and meticulously crafted. The chest of drawers by the bed opens to reveal the knick knacks of a regular household – cosmetics, books, lingerie. Rugs and towels are laid out in the bathroom, soaps and shampoos and even a little medicine cabinet holding familiar brands of painkillers, cough syrups and antiseptics. In the nursery, the crib is covered in a quilt with pillows, and everything a baby would need, from milk bottles to diapers are in their respective places.
The raw materials used, says Trudi, are generally polymer clay and acrylic paint. Accessories made with clay, such as the food items, are baked in order to retain their shape and colour. “Tweezers are my best friend,” she laughs, saying that a set of tiny brushes and blades make up the rest of her tools. Her creations are sold both as the room boxes in their entirety as well separate accessories, so those who wish to may decorate their own boxes.
“My goal is to open a hobby store,” she explains, adding that customers could then have all the accessories and components to create their own miniature worlds – dollhouses, landscapes, train sets – even airports and harbours. She also hopes to have workshops for adults and children to introduce them to the craft.
Apart from miniature-making, Trudi is also a fashion designer, with her own label and fashion line. As with her miniatures, she believes that each dress she designs must be unique, and perfectly on par with the customer’s own taste.
It was her grandmother, a seamstress, with whom she grew up in Kandy, who taught her the art of sewing – first for her dolls, then for herself. Later, she studied fashion and jewellery designing under veteran designer Senaka De Silva, who she says sparked her creativity and inspired her to think out of the box. Having settled down in Colombo with her husband, a pilot, Trudi travels often, gathering inspiration for her work and adding to her personal miniature collection.
“I love the work I do, and am looking forward to doing much more with it,” she says.
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