Saturday, June 9, 2012

Seeing stars: the Observatory of Meliador... lots of pictures!

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This project dates back to the "Golden Era" of dioramas, circa 2004-2005.   As I progressed with my various dioramas, the miniatures themselves became more elaborate.  For instance, the Planesphere which I created for Meliador's calculations.

Since I have been a huge fan of astronomy for as long as I can remember, this might just be my favorite diorama of all time. :-)

The overall structure was done with sculpey.  Here are a few overall shots with the minis:

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Now a shot of Meliador himself:
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And for some close ups on the Planesphere, which was also made from Sculpey:

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I have some exterior images that show the copper roof, the column, stairway and alcoves:
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These images show the floor design, which was inspired by a very old section of the Museum of Science and Industry here in Chicago.  There is a giant pendulum that hangs from the ceiling, and it keeps time as it swings over a large sun dialesque design on the floor.
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Here are a few more close ups of Meliador inside the Observatory:
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