Scale to fit

KOCHI: Buildings have always fascinated Sunil Kumar. Even when he was trying to create miniature art for the first time, he didn’t look around much for inspiration. He made a mini model of a house. But his miniatures are unique. While plenty of artists create models of vehicles, food, and other tidbits using basswood sheets, matboard and clay, Sunil chose the slender coconut frond spines (eerkil in Malayalam) for his creations.

Sunil kick-started his miniature expedition around four years ago. ‘Eerkil’, the least used medium, came his way quite unexpectedly. “I never knew that frond spines could be used to make building models. I’ve seen my son sticking eerkil together to form figures on paper. So, when he had to exhibit artwork for his school programme, I immediately picked up a couple of eerkils and made a house. That’s when I realised I could do more of that,” says Sunil, who works as a house painter.

From traditional to modern architecture, the 38-year-old can make perfect miniature replicas of all sorts of buildings. The neatly stacked coconut frond spines take the form of sloped roofs or modern catenary ones. The spines are not just for the exterior. Indoors, furniture, stairs, and smaller decors are also arranged. Though the structures seem simple at first look, Sunil claims making them is a time consuming process.

The 18 inches three-storeyed house, the largest of his collection, took him almost six months to finish, while the smallest of the lot, a 4.5 inches tall house, took around two months to finish. “It is the details that take time to get right. So far, I haven’t sold any of the models. Not that I don’t want to, but so much work goes into their making and I feel like many people won’t value that. For them it’s just eerkil, glue, and plywood,” says the Wayanad native.

His building structures and the interiors are often inspired by the abodes he paints. “Some designs catch my attention. I make a few tweaks and make a house out of my imagination,” adds Sunil. The coconut frond spines are mostly given to Sunil by his friends. He picks fresh ones, carves them and stacks them in bundles. “Eerkali can be kept safely for many years. Unlike ice cream spoons and toothpicks, it won’t deteriorate,” he adds.

During the pandemic-induced lockdown, Sunil also started making musical instruments. But the veena, violin, and guitars he made were not miniature. The strings made from frond spines look as good as the original. 

Sunil is planning to add more pieces to his collection. “Though the process is time-consuming, the end result makes me happy. Alongside my daily job, this passion keeps me satisfied,” says Sunil.