15 / 17Artwork 15 of 17Virtual exhibition
Padlock
Mykola Syadristy1969
A golden padlock, its key and its parts – on the cut end of a single human hair.
The cross-section of a human hair, about 0.08 mm across
What to look for under the microscope
In numbers
- BaseThe cross-section of a human hair, about 0.08 mm across
- Elements7 pieces of gold – padlock, key and 5 parts
- 1969Year created
The story
The lock and key are ancient symbols: of secrets, of confinement and freedom, of problem and solution. By taking the padlock apart and placing the key beside it, the master tells us that even the most complicated mechanism can be understood once we see its small parts. The solution lies right next to the problem.
How it was made
The hair had to be cut perfectly perpendicular with a special micro-knife to give it a stable “stage”. Every part was carved separately from gold; he shaped the key with a microscopic milling machine of his own making.
Did you know?
The cross-section of a hair varies from person to person: it can be round or oval. This padlock stands on a hair with an oval cross-section, and the whole “stage” is less than a tenth of a millimetre across.
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