Miniatures make us relive the world from the perspective of our childhood, a time when the world was populated by toys and figurines. Miniaturized worlds seethe with narrative potential, intricate story lines, suspense. They offer a disquieting experience of distance, and artists often use it to explore very contemporary feelings of alienation, displacement and estrangement.

This book reveals how all kinds of visual artists (contemporary artists, street artists, photographers and even product designers) are using miniatures and miniaturized worlds in order to create startling situations and memorable images. The small people and small worlds featured give us a new sense of perspective, transporting us to a new dimension where we can find enchanted new cities, where people make homes out of pumpkins or go diving into breakfast bowls.

Microworlds is a fascinating collection of images for anyone intrigued by these miniature, imagined worlds.

Marc Valli is the co-founder of retail and book-selling company Magma in the UK, and of visual art magazines Graphic and Elephant. He is the author of "RGB" (Reviewing Graphics in Britain) as well as a large body of unpublished fiction.