Concept in Definition ABC

A diorama is a type of model in which some type of situation is staged. In other words, it is a normally small stage space that serves to represent in three dimensions very diverse realities, such as nativity scenes, historical events, natural habitats, urban spaces, etc.

These models are commonly used in schools, but also in museums, in classrooms. exhibitions or among collectors who want to showcase their love for a subject concrete.

As for the word diorama, it comes from the Greek and literally means through sight.

The appearance of the first dioramas

At the beginning of the 19th century, there was no photography or movie theater. In that context, the theater it was the most popular and socially recognized show. The invention of the first diorama is attributed to the Frenchman Louis Daguerre, who devised a visual spectacle in which the Spectators observed animation scenes that changed in appearance with modifications to the stage and games of lights. The diorama is a variant of theatrical scenography and is considered a forerunner of cinematography.

The purpose of dioramas

The purpose of these three-dimensional constructions is twofold: to facilitate the teaching of a subject in the academic field and, in parallel, to communicate an idea through a Format entertaining. This type of model is considered a tool didactic very useful for children in the first school years.

In the process of learning of the smallest the theoretical explanations can be boring and not very dynamic. For this reason, dioramas become a strategy that combines the rigor of information with entertainment.

Whoever observes a diorama is visualizing a scene that represents a reality and in this learning process words are unimportant. It could be said that these models are pedagogically useful as long as they are accompanied by an explanation of their content.

To manufacture any diorome it is necessary to previously perform a investigation on what are the elements that should integrate it and what ideas are communicated with them. As is logical, the students themselves can be the protagonists in their manufacture.

Some of its variants

In general, the scale of the dioramas is reduced, since in this way the interaction between the observer and the scene represented is facilitated. However, sometimes they are close to reality in size.

The modalities are very broad: in showcases so that the public does not manipulate the content, in boxes with variable dimensions, the book dioramas that when opened stage a story, in the form of a card, etc.

In the world of collecting

A specific area that can be observed lies in the realm of collectible figures, based on movies or comics. mainly, by means of which scenes are represented, giving an extra value to the characters, given the pose, situation and base That accompany.

Companies such as Kotobukiya, Iron Studios, or Sideshow are some of the main references in this art, to from creations in sizes that vary between 1/4 and 1/10 (the latter characteristic in the lines of Iron Studios). There are already larger sizes, up to 1/1 which represents a real vision of the personality and scene, but since in these cases many elements participate, the dimension that is most frequently appreciated is 1/6.

Photo: Fotolia - TwilightArt

Diorama themes