Willard Wigan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Willard Wigan (born 1957) is an internationally known sculptor from Birmingham, England.

He is the creator of the world's smallest sculptures, often taking months to complete one, working between heartbeats to avoid hand tremors. Wigan uses a tiny surgical blade to carve his microscopic figures out of rice, grains of sand and sugar, which are then mounted on pinheads. His sculptures have included a Santa Claus and a copy of the Football World Cup trophy, both about 0.005mm (0.0002in) tall, and a boxing ring with Muhammad Ali figure which fits onto the head of a match.

The 1993 British film An Eye On X follows Wigan's quest in carving two statues of American black activist Malcolm X. The film was produced and directed by Pogus Caesar for Windrush Productions and broadcast on Carlton TV.

It has been rumoured that Wigan may soon be retiring.