It would be easy to miss this incredibly tiny rodent-sized shop set into a wall in Malmö, Sweden, if not for the lights advertising its red-and-white-striped awning and the miniature foods in its window. Crouch down, peer beyond the glass and you’l see an enticing array of nuts displayed like bread and meat. Then, all of the other details start to register, and you realize just how complex this installation really is.
The miniature intervention is the work of AnonyMouse, an anonymous art collective posting images of the scene on Instagram. It features the ‘Noix de Vie’ (Nuts of Life) bakery alongside an Italian bistro called ‘Il Topolino,’ with a cafe table, picnic blanket and planter set up outside.
The walls outside the businesses are plastered with tiny posters that say things like “peace, love & polar bears” and advertise a movie called “Night of the Were-Rat.” The bakery and restaurant are both full of minuscule framed photos and a tiny menu is posted outside the door. A spray-painted Guy Fawkes face bears mouse ears in a twist on classic Anonymous imagery.
The gritty details of the scene really drive home its realism, from the peeling paint and tiny weeds in the sidewalk cracks to the weathered, padlocked utility box. The installation is a hit with passersby, and the creators say people have been bringing their pet rodents to visit.
“Without spoiling too much we can tell you that we’re working on a new scene, and in 2017 you’re going to be able to see plenty more!”
