What is this? A building for ants? Now that we have that obvious joke out of the way check out Joshua Smith’s miniature recreation of Kowloon’s Temple Street. It’s uncanny exterior built from MDF, wood, cardboard, plastic card, chalk pastels, spray paint, wire and plastruct.
From the rust and grime to graffiti, old signage, discarded cigarettes and classic blue girl advertising, it’s a true representation of the streets of Kowloon. Often using Google maps to hunt down his next miniature masterpieces, this building caught the eyes of miniaturist Joshua Smith with its character and variety.
“I was drawn to the Temple Street building because of the signage for the shopfronts on the ground level along with the awnings and support structure holding up the first level. This was an interesting contrast to the more residential levels above. Grime and layers of urban decay such as rust and chipped stonework say so much in terms of the lifespan and history of the building and visually it looked like this building had a lot to say.”
With the amount of detail that goes into Joshua’s creations, it’s a stunning revelation to hear that he himself has never actually set foot in Hong Kong before. Using only references found online and a little help from his followers in Hong Kong, his accuracy certainly had us convinced he’d studied the block in person.
“I have had a love affair with Hong Kong ever since I was quite young growing up watching Hong Kong cinema from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s. To this day I have not been to Hong Kong myself which I am hoping to change this year. In recent years I have kept up to date with the graffiti and street art scene in Hong Kong as well the changing cityscape and old buildings of Hong Kong…I am looking to exhibit my work in Hong Kong this year or at the very least head over for a holiday and to take reference photos for future miniatures first hand.”
You can see more of his work on his website or on Instagram @Joshua_Smith_Street_Artist. All photos by Andrew Beveridge/ASBcreative.com