Interior Designers in the OC: Book Review

It appears that size does matter, though, in this instance, not the way you might expect. In Flann O’Brien’s absurdist novel The Third Policeman, Officer MacCruiskeen occupies his time by creating miniature chests similar to one that a military officer might use to store his valuables.

Within this chest is found another chest completely identical except for the fact that it fits inside the larger. Within this chest is found another and so on with each growing slightly smaller with each revelation. By the 32nd chest the officer’s work is so small as to be invisible as are the tools that he requires to craft the objects of his obsession.

The object of this week’s review is John Mack’s The Art of Small Things (British Museum Press) and it seems that the fantasy world of O’Brien’s officer is not that far from reality. Within its pages you will find miniature paintings executed with a single hair from a squirrel’s tail, Marcel Duchamp’s Boiten-en-Valise (a miniature suitcase containing tiny versions of his own works) as well as a work by Willard Wigan, who carved a tiny Statue of Liberty within the eye of a needle.

The book has been published by The British Museum and its contents are mainly taken from their collections. The craftsmanship, artistry and imagination, not to mention the skill and precision, depicted in this fascinating book make it an important addition to a library that embraces all the world’s wonders both large and small.