After he graduated from art school, Chris Millar<\/a> (previously<\/a>) worked in a toy store for seven years. \u201cThe shop, now defunct, was called\u00a0Livingstone and Cavell Extraordinary Toys in Calgary, Alberta, Canada,\u201d he tells Colossal.\u00a0The store carried classics like tin wind-ups, electric trains, dolls, miniature soldiers, and teddy bears.<\/p>\n Millar\u2019s latest extravagantly detailed work was one-and-a-half years in the making and takes inspiration from the joys of toy shops and flea markets. He incorporates resin, acrylic paint, brass, steel, aluminum, electronics, and wood into elaborate kinetic spectacles. Every part of is made from scratch with the exception of a few gears.<\/p>\n \u201cMirthful Miscellanea\u201d channels an imaginary, fantastical curio shop run by two brothers named Wade and Snyder. \u201cTheir portraits can be seen in a few areas of the sculpture,\u201d Millar says. \u201cWade is an expert in medieval musical instruments and roast chicken, and Snyder in antiquarian circus paraphernalia.\u201d<\/p>\n The piece follows in the footsteps of a work titled \u201cEclipse at Arc Valley<\/a>\u201d\u00a0that incorporates a clockwork mechanism, but this new sculpture further elaborates on the design with a more complex mechanism and a base that emits sound from a music box, two gongs, and six bells.<\/p>\n Millar expresses a fondness for mom-and-pop shops and quirky destinations that have found it increasingly difficult to continue operating in our era of online global commerce. The inspiration for the sculpture \u201cis a counter to the homogeneity that our internet-based culture bestows on us,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n The artist is represented by\u00a0TrepanierBaer<\/a>, and you can wander more miniature imaginary worlds on the artist\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n![\"an](\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/millar-1-960x1440.jpg\")
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