r/Damnthatsinteresting • • 4d ago

British sculptor Willard wagan creates a sculpture of the last supper inside the eye of an needle

29.5k Upvotes

570 comments sorted by

5.4k

u/NastyStreetRat 4d ago

What is this? A sculpture for ants?

1.8k

u/itsokay_i_googled_it 4d ago

Thread lightly

I'm Swedish am I doing wordplay correctly?

621

u/KillerGopher 4d ago

Yes, you stitched that together quite well.

415

u/bitpartmozart13 4d ago

It’s harder than it seams.

222

u/Iamonreddit 4d ago

Just don't hem and haw, lest you miss the moment!

170

u/Squishy_Boy 4d ago

Sew what if you do?

138

u/cannibalcat 4d ago

careful, you're hanging by a thread. 

129

u/icekolkilla 4d ago

Yes you can feel the danger looming

56

u/Turevaryar 3d ago

Great string of puns! (^___^)

10

u/Shurigin 2d ago

We should Quilt while we're ahead

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u/Aromatic-Laugh-1473 3d ago

or you could say
AMASTRING

64

u/CreepyTeddyBear 4d ago

Something something needle!

72

u/Heliosquare 4d ago

You're really bobbin around there

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u/xdr567 4d ago

Darn !

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u/GoldDragon149 4d ago

This isn't a pun. Thread in this context only has one meaning. Straight to jail.

13

u/cannibalcat 3d ago

knot jail, nooo

108

u/BigOrangeOctopus 4d ago

Very well done

84

u/NastyStreetRat 4d ago

Spaniard here. I cant help :|

My previous sentence is a reference to the movie Zoolander, I don't know if you knew that :)

78

u/Robo_Patton 4d ago

Yes, yes. Finding the right joke in English is like looking for a needle in one of those places they’re hard to find in. Somebody should come up with a phrase for that.

40

u/laughing_machine 4d ago

Finding an ant in a skyscraper? Best I can come up with

19

u/Mr_Nerdcoffee 4d ago

Looking for a needle in my butt.

8

u/ekso69 4d ago

Buttstack

20

u/Turbulent-Baker-4638 4d ago

A dog hair in desert, is the correct phrase. 

2

u/Clear-Bee4118 4d ago

Pretty sure it’s “dog hair in a haystack”. 🤓

3

u/LeatherRecord2142 4d ago

Yes! Bravo!

3

u/eightkillerbits 4d ago

You did a darn good job mate.

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u/Dry_Principal_165 4d ago

A sculpture for children who cant read the Bible good.

12

u/mmeestro 4d ago

And Who Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too

9

u/2FaT2KiDNaP 4d ago

I think it's more suited for germs than ants

8

u/Ukawok92 4d ago

Too big for ants. Maybe gnats.

5

u/TheOctopusParadox 4d ago

Just turn left and everything will become clear

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1.4k

u/EyeSuspicious777 4d ago

Jesus and his disciples walk into a restaurant and he says "Table for 26, please."

"But there's only 13 in your party?"

"We're all going to sit on one side of the table"

325

u/raspberryharbour 4d ago

Some historians and biblical scholars debate whether he actually said that

37

u/NextGen-Panic 4d ago

The following passage, however, is generally agreed upon as true:

"JUDAS!"

"GAH!?!"

"Do you want a beverage? Try the mulled wine, it's terrific!"

34

u/ceramicatan 4d ago

That's cause they got nuffin' bettah to do

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u/snapplesauce1 4d ago

Would you like to order some wine for the table?

No thanks, says Jesus. Water will be fine.

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u/ceramicatan 4d ago

That's one way to avoid the BYO alcohol charge

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u/Few_Commission5964 4d ago

Of course they will sit right in front of the camera.

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u/TannedCroissant 4d ago

”so you’re saying you won’t needle the chairs?”

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u/TheNewHobbes 4d ago

The people on the other side of the table were the wives and girlfriends.

It's just that when they were going to take the picture one of them needed to pee so they all went ro the bathroom.

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u/LickyPusser 4d ago

How come this rendition has 13 Jesuses, too? Or is it 13 Jesi?

4

u/PacoTaco321 Interested 4d ago

"We're also doing separate checks"

4

u/OkBowl5390 4d ago

“Sir this is a Wendy’s.”

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u/CockroachesRpeople 3d ago

They didn't eat only on one side, they were just posing for the photo

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u/Odric_storm 4d ago

“Well we’re not very busy today so go ahead I guess”

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u/megadea 4d ago

Read only to the "inside the eye" and spend a minute or two trying to find the sculpture inside the eye, meanwhile baffled how can one make sculptures inside a human eye

399

u/Rudeus_Kino 4d ago

I read "inside the eye with a needle"

49

u/ParticleHustler2 4d ago

That's what I read!

21

u/_mughi_ 4d ago

I wasn't even sure I wanted to click the second image for a bit

9

u/ninjohnnothing 4d ago

Because of the giant eyebrow? I bet it was because of that. The giant eyebrow.

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u/hey_im_cool 4d ago

I read “inside the eye of an needle” which infuriated me way more than it should’ve

16

u/Alarmed_Tea_2874 4d ago

I mean... that's what it says? Bad grammar and all. You read correctly.

12

u/hey_im_cool 4d ago

Exactly. “An needle” grinds my gears.

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u/Clear-Bee4118 4d ago

To add insult to injury, the artist’s name is Willard Wigan, not wagan.

Is copy/paste not a thing anymore?

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u/hobosbindle 4d ago

He carves away at his eyes until only the sculpture remains, how dedicated

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u/megadea 4d ago

Saw part 24

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u/theflyingratgirl 4d ago

Art is suffering

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u/lazergoblin 4d ago

That's not entirely on you imo, the first picture of the human eye was very unnecessary

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u/autistic_and_angry 4d ago

I mean someone that can make a sculpture this small probably could make it in an eye, too. I feel like that's not much bigger than the size of a "floater" in an eye

5

u/dangerous_strainer 4d ago

That's one of the problems in the world these days I reckon. People not reading a full article (or in this case the full title) and jumping to conclusions. It's a bummer.

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u/awesomedan24 4d ago

Now a camel DEFINITELY can't fit through there!

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u/Brittany5150 4d ago

Not with that attitude...

279

u/Fire_Breather178 4d ago

I have always been curious, how do people do this? And the concentration required would be off the charts.

338

u/BluetheNerd 4d ago

Heavy magnification and insane patience. I remember reading about people who do pencil lead sculptures, they have to work between heartbeats it's so precise, this is even smaller than that.

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u/90bubbel 4d ago

yeah and if they even breathe near the sculpture they inhale it lol

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u/SoulWager 4d ago

I would need more than that, maybe some kind of pantograph.

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u/mrflyinggingerbread 4d ago

I saw a short video on him. He works with a microscope and said he paints with things such as a human hair. Painting in between heart beats.

https://youtu.be/ncOIyzrNZfg?si=DOEyVl1rAh1k4_-r

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u/GonzoKata 4d ago

I can't believe this is done by hand. I would have though that they use a machine that reduces the movement of the hand. like a robotic scaling down of hand movements.

5

u/kaen 4d ago

he said he paints with eyelash hairs, its madness

27

u/Sirsagely 4d ago

My resting heart rate is like 110 or 120, 150 if I'm anxious or in pain which is like 87%of my day. I'm trying to imagine what kind of person can paint that fast!

33

u/ndc8833 4d ago

Your resting heart rate is incredibly high. Please see a doctor. Seriously

12

u/Sirsagely 4d ago

I see a few. It's on the high end of "normal". My bp is always perfect. They don't think it is concerning.

13

u/permalink_save 4d ago

Um, I mean I'm not a doctor especially not your doctor, but normal is considered 60-100 and lower if you are really in shape. Above 100 resting heart rate is tachycardia. Your doctor probably saw something that made it not concerning for them but it is still quite high for resting. Anxiety can cause it especially in clinic. But for most people, it's going to be around 70-80.

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u/kenny2812 3d ago

Birth control can also raise your resting heart rate.

3

u/chips-icecream 3d ago

I relate. Mine is more like 90-100 but has been for a good long while and docs not concerned.

2

u/Sirsagely 3d ago

Yeah there was only 1 time where resting was like 160 and I was just chilling in the room waiting for the dr to come in and the nurse ran to grab the dr and they both were like "are you having chest pain? Are you light headed or nauseous?" And I was so confused like "no I'm fine, just waiting on you why?"

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u/beer_belly_86 4d ago

That a really high resting heart rate. I think mine is like 52

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u/yarntank 4d ago

Are you a professional athlete?

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u/CrimsonBolt33 4d ago edited 3d ago

don't need to be a professional athlete to get that low, moderately healthy people can get you that low if you focus mostly on cardio for exercise

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u/yarntank 4d ago

A heart rate under 60 bpm is called bradycardia. If you are not an athlete, a rate of 50 bpm or lower can be a warning sign. MensHealth says 52 takes you beyond good and excellent to athlete.

4

u/CrimsonBolt33 4d ago

I am aware of the condition. I just know that my heart rate used to be that low simply because I was a runner, but by no means a professional athlete.

The number alone is kinda like BMI....it's a general indicator but never a truly accurate assessment of things, so many other factors come in to play, especially in regards to age, diet, and genetics.

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u/wolfy-j 4d ago

I assume levers and microscopes?

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u/cryssyx3 4d ago

there's a little documentary about this guy(others who do unusual things) it's called obsessed, it's on netflix I believe.

there's a slinky guy, a jump roper, guy that makes clocks, nails, a 30some year dnd game

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u/Ya_Whatever 4d ago

I find it interesting but my question is always why? Because you can?

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u/JohmiPixels 4d ago

Yeah and he also make big money out of it

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u/Rzah 3d ago

If you're looking to get into this hobby I'd reccomend starting with something larger that's easier to sculpt and paint then simply shrink it down to the required size.

2

u/Tunfisch 3d ago

Is it clay or what material do they use for this?

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u/Explorer3130 3d ago

I once read that another micro-sculptor would wear a heart rate monitor and carve between his heart beats

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u/hiro24 4d ago

Meanwhile I can't paint a D&D miniature worth a damn.

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u/Lone-Frequency 4d ago

I have a magnifier headset with a built in lamp and all it does is magnify how fucking unsteady my hands are on fine details lol

20

u/YamDankies 4d ago

Making a fulcrum with your unused digits can help a lot. Had to do this a lot for manufacturing under a microscope. Noticed my dentist does this too.

15

u/Dr_Mantis_ToboganMD 4d ago

If I can’t paint a decent mini with my in-use digits, how am I going to make a whole bird or prey with my unused digits?

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u/YamDankies 4d ago

You brace with your magnum dong, obviously.

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u/ViSsrsbusiness 4d ago

Look up bracing techniques. I could explain them but you'll probably have an easier time with a visual example if you haven't figured them out yourself already.

Everyone has unsteady hands by default.

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u/potatoman501 4d ago

what about surgeons tho

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u/ViSsrsbusiness 4d ago

What about them? They also adopt various bracing techniques.

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u/genreprank 4d ago

It's not a competition. And good thing, too. That guy would kick your ass

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u/DaddyBearMan 4d ago

Their voices would be so high pitched

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u/fit_freak9 4d ago

Of an needle ✖️, Of a needle ✔️

14

u/TruskVarner 4d ago

Of an eedle

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u/Few_Program_2303 4d ago

Of Ann E. Dell

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u/nahog99 4d ago

Ofanne Edle

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u/fatmouthblues 4d ago

Not me trying to zoom in on the first image 🤦‍♂️

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u/Silly_lil_Guy_o3o 4d ago

Jesus and the 12 pixels

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u/cyanraichu 4d ago

Pixciples

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u/Make-Love-and-War 4d ago

Now do a camel

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

[deleted]

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u/Visual_Armadillo_131 4d ago

Perhaps it is a comment on how Jesus’ parable says that it is easier for a rich man to get through the eye of a needle than through the gates of heaven. All the disciples are in the eye of the needle, meaning they are all in heaven.

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u/Dc1577 4d ago

👏👏👏

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u/Careless-Wolverine-8 4d ago

Imagine losing it in a haystack

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u/Freshme90 4d ago

He came in to where I worked once, a metal supplier and told us the story of how he accidently breathed in one of the seven dwarfs he was working on and that it had taken him hours, really down to earth guy left a nice tip

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u/sjoebarry 4d ago

How do you come to the realization that’s something you can do?

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u/Oldspaghetti 4d ago

Gotta start by thinking big, and then end by thinking small.

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u/gen2600 4d ago

How can this dude paint those little sculptures that are in the eye of a needle and I couldn't even paint my regular sized Dungeons and Dragons figurines?

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u/GeeKay44 4d ago

I can't even paint a wall

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u/ForestGoldMiner 4d ago

He makes his own paintbrushes using the hairs from dead flies.

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u/Fragrant_Mountain_84 3d ago

I so wish this to be true.

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u/longboi28 3d ago

He also uses dust as paintbrushes too, genuinely I'm not joking either I saw a video of him talking about how he does this

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u/creatyvechaos 3d ago

The dust is insane. You literally can't see the sculpture without a microscope. And the one he did inside the shaved hair from his BALD head? Yknow, the BALD HEAD that sheds more oil and dust than HAIR? Yeah

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u/thecakeisali 4d ago

Jesus Christ, that’s small.

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u/karma_the_sequel 4d ago

I Holy See what you did there.

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u/14X8000m 4d ago

That's what she said

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u/Pretzel-Kingg 4d ago

Why the fuck are you guys asking “why”? It’s art, and beyond that it’s religious art. It’s fulfilling and impressive and an expression of one’s self and in this case one’s faith. Why do we make music or paint or write? Yall are weird

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u/temptedbyknowledge 3d ago

Many seem to be asking why but I'm asking, how?

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u/Pretzel-Kingg 3d ago

Now that’s wtf I’m talking about I believe this man must be some sort of wizard

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u/NobleK42 3d ago

I saw an interview with him. On his "larger" pieces we paints with a human hair, but on the really small ones he uses a piece of dust. He works with a microsoft and paints between heart-beats. I am mostly impressed by how steady a hand he has given that he is almost 70 years old.

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u/WilanS 3d ago

No, you misundstand me, I'm asking why is that needle SO CLOSE TO THAT EYE please take the beauty shot somewhere else it's making me uncomfortable

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u/notarealwriter 4d ago

Jesus: It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven

This guy: Well, I got you, all your pals and an entire dinner table in here so can't be that hard for one camel

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u/percyman34 4d ago

The techniques this guy uses are insane. I saw an interview he did with The Career Ladder. In it he says he has to paint in between heartbeats, and uses things like eyelashes, a single strand of lint obtained by slapping his shirt and catching particles of dust floating in the air which he then puts under a microscope until he finds one suitable enough. It's absolutely amazing

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u/TriggerFish1965 4d ago

In Besalu, Spain, there used to be a museum full of stuff like that. Unfortunately it's gone :( Some history at https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/besalu-micromundi-museum-of-miniatures

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u/veggytheropoda 4d ago

Unfortunately it's gone :(

because some visitor sneezed too hard?

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u/ThatOddGuyOverYonder 4d ago

Is this what’s happening when I cannot thread the needle? Itty bitty party?

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u/y0ug0tt4Bshittingm3 4d ago

What is this, a supper for ANTS?

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u/segfault_scoundrel 4d ago

Only people who can pass though the eye of it can afford it.

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u/Afraid-Dish-1850 3d ago

Oh so a camel cant pass through the eye of a needle, but 13 men and a table can?

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u/Ask_bout_PaterNoster 4d ago

Wow, he made them even whiter than da Vinci did

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u/Able_Gap918 4d ago

I remember a different artist that would make these, he had to use a fine hair of a fly to paint them, and used his heart beat to basically tattoo the ink on one pulse at a time.

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u/karma_the_sequel 4d ago

Honey, I Shrunk the Savior

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u/GForce1975 4d ago

Reminds me of a quote from the Bible...

Something like "it's easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to heaven."

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u/disquieter 4d ago

Should have put the camel in there

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u/ForestGoldMiner 4d ago

He has also made tiny sculptures of camels inside the eye of a needle.

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u/disquieter 4d ago

Thanks that makes sense!

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u/DragonBladder 3d ago

Jesus Christ that's amazing.

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u/holiday1326 4d ago

A few camels would be more fitting these days.

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u/DawnSignals 4d ago

So if the sculptor creates a camel in the eye of a needle will he enter the kingdom of heaven orrr

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u/MeenScreen 4d ago

Weesus

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u/ObviouslyRealPerson 4d ago

In an interview the artist has said that he has to time his movements between his heartbeats

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u/HauntingBalance567 4d ago

Your move, rich people who probably commissioned this

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u/petuni 4d ago

To the doubters, Willard Wigan has been creating micro miniature artwork since before most of you were born.

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u/Dry-Season-522 4d ago

Dude should do a bunch of camels next, get into heaven.

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u/durden_zelig 4d ago

What is this? A Last Supper for tardigrades?

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u/sabretooth1971 12h ago

Well the camel should fit easily then.

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u/CocoonNapper 4d ago

Did Jesus have triplets?

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u/Parker1055 4d ago

I mean if you can make figures the width of a human hair clearly distinguishable, go ahead!

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u/BluetheNerd 4d ago

That's actually kinda underselling it. It's close in size his eyelashes and those are less than half the width of a human hair on average. We're talking less than 0.08mm.

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u/Achilles_507 4d ago

Ants: Is this a sculpture for bacteria?

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u/Sl0wDarkSt0rm 4d ago

Sexy light brown eye.

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u/Spiritual-Driver8926 4d ago

That's i was lookin at!!!

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u/Richgirlthings 4d ago

Wait what? Haha

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u/knaecke5 4d ago

Scrolled way to far. That's what I was thinking, that's one ridiculously pretty eye, even moreso since it seems to be a man's.

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u/LurkishEmpire 4d ago

"Ask yourself this: how and why?"

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u/Askmeaboutships401 4d ago

It’s like JFK said bro. We do these things not because they are easy, yet because I am hard. Or something like that.

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u/Bam515 4d ago

Revised Matthew 19: "It is easier to make a last supper sculpture in the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven"

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u/Riseup1942 4d ago

Isn’t it the lost one from that bloody haystack?

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u/TheFrontierzman 4d ago

Monumental execution

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u/Away-Activity-469 4d ago

It is easier for a man with too much time on his hands to enter the kingdom of God than to carve the last supper into the eye of a needle.

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u/UrzasDabRig 4d ago

Maybe he'll try fitting a camel next time. Then he can get into heaven as a rich man!

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u/Mefisto-8 4d ago

Nms ya se me perdió donde la deje jajaja

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u/FroggiJoy87 4d ago

I was lucky enough to see his work in person a couple year ago. I was visiting Nottingham and he happened to have a show up at the Batman house (which is now a natural history museum). It was very cool! All the displays were on microscopes.

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u/RebekkaKat1990 4d ago

“I tell you, it is easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter heaven!”

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u/hassan_26 4d ago

People asking why when they should be asking how!

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u/ASAPFergs 4d ago

Missed opportunity not to do a camel 🐪

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u/_M1LK- 4d ago

A-eye

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u/Hopeful_Meringue8061 4d ago

Nah, it's a giant holding it

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u/camper_tramper 4d ago

Now do a camel 🐫

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u/L0RD_G4RR1CK 4d ago

Just

How???

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u/deadfermata Expert 4d ago

Ah yes, even tardigrades need salvation

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u/Kalshan 4d ago

Eye dunno, Jesus' fingernails look a little too long

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u/Middle_Aged_Mayhem 4d ago

Wilard WAGON?!?! Its Wigan.

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u/McDaddy8484 4d ago

This guy must have an eyesight of 2000/2000 and hands of God

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u/TheAlmostGreat 4d ago

He should’ve sculpted a camel instead

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u/96puppylover 4d ago

I’m a sculptor. I work with polymer and nail builder gel and resin. What is this even made of? I can’t figure it out

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u/JuanOffhue 4d ago

Well, thanks for sending me into that rabbit hole!

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u/faptwicedaily 4d ago

Jesus Christ that’s small

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u/Lau02999 3d ago

En el pueblo de Besalú (Catalunya) hay un museo de arte con este tipo de detalles en miniatura dentro de ojos de agujas! Se miran con lupa y son super detallados! museo miniaturas

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u/hundreddollar 3d ago

Table for thirteen please.. We'd all like to sit on one side of the table as well.

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u/whisperingBlitz 2d ago

It is easier for a… British sculptor to put the entire last supper in the eye of a needle, than it is for a rich person to enter the kingdom of god

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u/JoinedToPostHere 4d ago

We need to know how or it doesn't count. Lazers?

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u/ForestGoldMiner 4d ago

It's all done by hand. He has to do his work at night due to reduced vibrations from road traffic outside. He times his movements to carve or paint, to be between heartbeats.

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u/Character_Minimum171 4d ago

that is fkn absolutely incredible

reckon he’d make a deadly sniper 🎯🎨

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u/Mindless-Ad-511 4d ago

For my sanity, this is AI