Kevin Mulvany & Susie Rogers

Miniature maker

An uplifting interpretation of miniature buildings

Kevin and Susie create 1:12 scale miniature architectural models
They have been making miniatures since the early 1980s
Their work blends traditional and innovative working techniques

Kevin Mulvany and Susie Rogers are art historians turned miniaturists. Working to one-twelfth-scale, the duo have created replicas of some of the world’s historically and culturally significant buildings. Their craft practice blends traditional and innovative methods with the aim for neither style of working to be apparent in the finished result. "Good design and attention to detail are paramount," they state. It is part of Kevin and Susie's practice to make constant adjustments to decorative details and building colouration to ensure that the final overall result is one of Firmitas, Utilitas and Venustas. “We do not seek to make a mere copy of a building, we aim to breathe our own interpretation into its particular atmosphere. A building breathes, it quivers with its own story and we desire to capture and interpret that.”

Interview

How does your background as art historians inform your process?: We are not restrained by learned techniques and often invent our own methods which we use alongside traditional or orthodox skill sets. Our creative process begins with a full-scale original. Even if we are creating a new design, we always use historical precedent as our starting point. Every detail of the construction is planned beforehand.
What has been the effect of combining old and new techniques?: We have mastered many traditional techniques and adapted them for smaller scale, as well as developing our own problem-solving methods. Combining old and new working practices has enabled us to take on a full range of architectural challenges.
What impact does your craft have?: It is not for us to say what impact our work has had; time will tell. However, we do believe that our methods and imaginative ideas have broadened the scope of what is possible in miniature and our attention to detail has set a standard for what levels of refinement can be achieved.
Could your craft be considered in danger?: Our craft is not in danger but at its wider edges, it is evolving. It is becoming more democratic in the sense that more amateurs are becoming makers – which is a good thing. However with the introduction of processes such as 3D printing the hand of the maker is becoming lighter and lighter. We continue to create complex and refined pieces by hand, maintaining the 'old' way of working.

Kevin Mulvany & Susie Rogers are s: they began their career in 1983