Miniature Cities of Wooden Towers

September 8, 2019 6:21 PM

Uli Kirchler carves multistory towers into unique pieces of wood, castles which pop into being and disappear again. Many more at his instagram
posted by Eyebrows McGee (14 comments total)

I was looking at the pictures and was all thinking "I don't get it. They're cute, but why are they called kinetic?" and then I clicked the video and said "fuck me!" very loudly into a fortunately empty room. That is amazing. I am amazed.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:28 PM on September 8, 2019 [5 favorites]

But how tho
posted by Pastor of Muppets at 6:34 PM on September 8, 2019 [2 favorites]

Looks like he uses a scroll saw with the bed on a slight angle, to cut concentric rings that are slightly angled toward the middle of the curve.
posted by bonobothegreat at 6:39 PM on September 8, 2019 [4 favorites]

Tiny cities made of ashes?
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 6:51 PM on September 8, 2019

Those are ABSOLUTELY AMAZING and incredibly beautiful.

Thank you so much for posting this, Eyebrows!
posted by kristi at 7:26 PM on September 8, 2019

He is a magic man.
posted by Joe in Australia at 10:47 PM on September 8, 2019

Thank-you for posting this, that whole site is new to me and it will be taking up lots of my interested time now!
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 12:01 AM on September 9, 2019

Gnarly!
posted by chavenet at 12:43 AM on September 9, 2019

That first picture looks like a meringue (or whatever they're called -- I can barely make toast) and then -- floof! -- a city of towers.
posted by pracowity at 2:29 AM on September 9, 2019

I'm sure I've seen these at craft markets a lot the last few years, so this guy can't be the only one making them. I wonder if he was the first and the others are copy cats, or if they were all inspired by someone else?
posted by lollusc at 6:46 AM on September 9, 2019 [1 favorite]

I have two for two of my sons - my opinion, aesthetically, pieces of burnt wood are the most dramatic, but they are all gorgeous.

A bit of care is required with the more intricate nested pieces as the interior pieces can be dislodged or stuck.

When we bought them, the craftsman told us that the process was very old, as it allowed pieces of wood that were unsuitable for furniture or construction, due to warping, irregularity or burning to be refashioned.
posted by Barbara Spitzer at 7:03 AM on September 9, 2019 [1 favorite]

Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaa mind blown!!!
posted by k8bot at 4:35 PM on September 9, 2019

I've seen something similar in Indian or North African craft stores, where a collapsible fruit bowl is made by cutting a single concentric line. The "burliness" of the grain keeps it from splitting apart to easily.
posted by bonobothegreat at 8:11 PM on September 9, 2019

Thank you for posting this! It seems like once a year I rediscover This is Collossal and bookmark it as a site I need to check regularly and then completely forget about it two weeks later...this was my annual reminder of it's existence. It's definitely best of the web.
posted by newpotato at 3:07 AM on September 10, 2019