--- title: "Fragile Giant : record-breaking nano sculpture" description: "Jonty Hurwitz's record-breaking nano sculpture, "Fragile Giant," a 0.157mm elephant, fuses art, science, and perception to highlight extinction and loss" lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sentient.art/#org", "name": "Jonty Hurwitz & Yifat Davidoff", "legalName": "Mathematics of Self Ltd.", "alternateName": "Art of Jonty Hurwitz & Yifat Davidoff", "url": "https://sentient.art/", "logo": "https://sentient.art/sentient-art-logo-dark.png", "founder": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonty Hurwitz" }, { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yifat Davidoff" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sentient.art/#website", "url": "https://sentient.art/", "name": "Art of Jonty Hurwitz & Yifat Davidoff", "description": "Sculpture editions and unique artworks by Jonty Hurwitz & Yifat Davidoff — where art meets science.", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sentient.art/#org" } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebPage", "name": "Loading edition…", "description": "Loading edition details", "url": "https://sentient.art/edition/fragile-giant", "isPartOf": { "@type": "WebSite", "name": "Art of Jonty Hurwitz & Yifat Davidoff", "url": "https://sentient.art" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sentient.art/#org", "name": "Jonty Hurwitz & Yifat Davidoff", "legalName": "Mathematics of Self Ltd.", "url": "https://sentient.art/", "logo": "https://wdrxdfvnnrdahkzifhxs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-assets/site-settings/logo/1779723800851-m6hr4e-Original-Sentient-Logo-Black.png", "founder": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonty Hurwitz" }, { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yifat Davidoff" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sentient.art/#website", "url": "https://sentient.art/", "name": "Official Site: Art of Jonty Hurwitz & Yifat Davidoff", "description": "Art born from science. Jonty reveals hidden forces of reality through works that make perception shift. Everything is not as it seems.", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sentient.art/#org" } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "VisualArtwork", "name": "Fragile Giant", "url": "https://sentient.art/edition/fragile-giant", "image": "https://fgxztnkqkimoutnckwrs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/edition-images/edition-99f0786f-c643-419e-b742-d3c60bcac179-compressed-1779873440338.jpg", "inLanguage": "en", "dateCreated": "2014", "artMedium": "Gold And Mixed Media", "artworkSurface": "0.03w x 0.015h x 0.01d cm", "description": "\"Fragile Giant\" holds a Guinness World Record as the smallest animal sculpture, standing only 0.157mm tall. This minute representation of an elephant speaks volumes beyond its scale, directing our gaze towards the dire situation of real-world elephants. A century ago, 12 million elephants roamed in Africa, a number which has precipitously dropped to around 400,000 today, largely due to poaching and habitat loss. This sculpture, while marveling us with its technical finesse, simultaneously confronts us with the monumental reality of the elephants’ decline. In the microscopic features of the \"Fragile Giant\", the artist entwines the marvel of biological majesty with a somber note on extinction and loss. This piece asks viewers to engage with a paradox: the monumental impact of the minuscule, inviting reflection upon our role in both the diminution and potential salvation of the natural world.", "creator": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonty Hurwitz", "sameAs": "https://sentient.art/about" }, { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dr. Yifat Davidoff", "sameAs": "https://sentient.art/about" }, { "@type": "Person", "name": "sentient.art" } ], "isPartOf": { "@type": "CollectionPage", "name": "Unique" } } ] --- [ The Art of Jonty Hurwitz & Yifat Davidoff ](/) [ The Art of Jonty Hurwitz & Yifat Davidoff ](/) [](/ "Home") ![sentient.art](/sentient-art-icon.png)![sentient.art](/sentient-art-logo.png)![sentient.art](/sentient-art-logo-dark.png) # Fragile Giant Edition:  Unique Year:  2014 Dimensions:  0.03w x 0.015h x 0.01d cm Materials:  Gold And Mixed Media ![Jonty Hurwitz & Yifat Davidoff, Fragile Giant, Gold And Mixed Media, 2014](https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/2161881853-bacef8a99a8323d7ff42301d13ae250f06fb713869a4ab3ab7bbd825341f9656-d?region=us_640.jpg) ## Related concepts - [Nano Sculpture](/concepts/nano-sculpture) - [Dual Description](/concepts/dual-description) - [Observer-Dependent Reality](/concepts/observer-dependent-reality) - [Science Art](/concepts/science-art) - [Anamorphosis](/concepts/anamorphosis) - [World's Smallest Sculpture](/concepts/worlds-smallest-sculpture) - [Multiphoton Lithography](/concepts/multiphoton-lithography) ![Fragile Giant — Nano-sculpture-scale.jpeg](https://fgxztnkqkimoutnckwrs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/content-assets/99f0786f-c643-419e-b742-d3c60bcac179/1762441946555-0-Nano-sculpture-scale-web.jpg?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) ### Fragile Giant On A Finger ![Fragile Giant — IMG\_0112.JPG](https://fgxztnkqkimoutnckwrs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/content-assets/1779895558762-ufskqov-web.webp?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) ### As Seen In An Optical Microscope The elephant appears grainy under an optical microscope because it is smaller than the wavelength of visible light itself. At this scale, light can no longer fully resolve the sculpture’s surface, placing the work at the very edge of what optical physics allows us to see. ![Fragile Giant — elephant\_0206\_4k\_3m.jpg](https://fgxztnkqkimoutnckwrs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/content-assets/99f0786f-c643-419e-b742-d3c60bcac179/1762441951789-6-elephant_0206_4k_3m-web.jpg?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) ### In a Scanning Electron Microscope ![Fragile Giant — Fragile+Giant+for+thumb.png](https://fgxztnkqkimoutnckwrs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/content-assets/99f0786f-c643-419e-b742-d3c60bcac179/1762441957243-14-Fragile+Giant+for+thumb.png?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) ### A Sculpture Seen By Microscope A microscopic elephant sculpture walks across a surface smaller than a coin. The work considers a colossal presence in a fragile state. ![Fragile Giant — elephant\_0206\_6k\_1.jpg](https://fgxztnkqkimoutnckwrs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/content-assets/99f0786f-c643-419e-b742-d3c60bcac179/1762441952063-7-elephant_0206_6k_1-web.jpg?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) ![Fragile Giant — elephant\_0206\_4k\_4\_ret.jpg](https://fgxztnkqkimoutnckwrs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/content-assets/1779883548501-fc6e4d3-web.webp?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) "Fragile Giant" holds a Guinness World Record as the smallest animal sculpture, standing only 0.157mm tall. This minute representation of an elephant speaks volumes beyond its scale, directing our gaze towards the dire situation of real-world elephants. A century ago, 12 million elephants roamed in Africa, a number which has precipitously dropped to around 400,000 today, largely due to poaching and habitat loss. This sculpture, while marveling us with its technical finesse, simultaneously confronts us with the monumental reality of the elephants’ decline. In the microscopic features of the "Fragile Giant", the artist entwines the marvel of biological majesty with a somber note on extinction and loss. This piece asks viewers to engage with a paradox: the monumental impact of the minuscule, inviting reflection upon our role in both the diminution and potential salvation of the natural world. Read more ↓ ## CNN — Ones to Watch CNN selected Jonty Hurwitz as one of the world's emerging creative voices, filming inside the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology as a new nano sculpture was crafted using quantum physics. ![CNN — Ones to Watch](https://wdrxdfvnnrdahkzifhxs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/blog-assets/snippets/11111111-cccc-4d11-aaaa-111111111111/gallery/1779672061715-vav20p-CNN.webp?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) ![CNN Ones to Watch — Jonty Hurwitz nano sculpture, filmed at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.](https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/1780543388-2a9387b84cd89b3b5defda3308b370fda90bbfdecef57779390028020031b7a4-d_640?region=us) ### CNN Ones to Watch A documentary by CNN on the creation of the nano sculptures - behind the scenes in the laboratory. _"CNN Ones to Watch"_ captures the figure of Yifat Davidoff — Jonty's art partner and life-long love — dancing delicately on a single strand of human hair. The work can only be seen through a powerful scanning electron microscope. The documentary follows Hurwitz in the laboratory at one of the world's leading universities in engineering and natural sciences — the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany — as the alchemist turned artist crafts a new work. Read more ↓ ## TEDx — The Art and Science of Love The love story behind the world's smallest figurative sculpture, told from the stage of TEDxMPIStuttgart. ![TEDx — The Art and Science of Love](https://wdrxdfvnnrdahkzifhxs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/blog-assets/snippets/22222222-cccc-4d22-aaaa-222222222222/gallery/1779672167342-wwxbjo-TED-logo.webp?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) ![TEDxMPIStuttgart — The Art and Science of Love — Jonty Hurwitz.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bQQv0hxvvVs/hqdefault.jpg) ### TED Talk The love story and philosophy behind the world’s smallest sculptures. Jonty Hurwitz takes the audience inside the science and the romance of nano-scale art — from two-photon absorption in a UV-curing resin to a thirty-year love story that became a Guinness World Record. A talk about how art, science and human emotion converge at a scale smaller than the width of a human hair. Read more ↓ ## How's It Made? How the world's smallest figurative sculptures are built — atom by atom — using quantum physics. ![Multiphoton lithography setup used to create Fragile Giant.](https://wdrxdfvnnrdahkzifhxs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/blog-assets/snippets/33333333-cccc-4d33-aaaa-333333333333/lithography.jpg?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) The nano sculptures are created using a process called multiphoton lithography — a form of fabrication born directly from the strange rules of quantum physics. Instead of carving material away, focused pulses of laser light trigger chemical reactions only at the exact point where multiple photons interact simultaneously, allowing structures to be built with extraordinary precision in three dimensions. At this scale, the boundary between science and imagination begins to disappear. The sculptures are not shaped by human hands in the traditional sense, but emerge from controlled interactions between light, matter, and probability itself. Using techniques developed from cutting-edge physics and nanotechnology, it becomes possible to create objects smaller than the wavelength of visible light — structures that exist at the threshold of what humans can physically perceive. Read more ↓ [ ![The making of "Fragile Giant" and "The Surfer"](https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/542466309-396a15b74ef446ded825c767e77a646d751b0b8a723e61b4e872f978ec1ab8e9-d_640) August 2015 ### The making of "Fragile Giant" and "The Surfer" The making of "Fragile Giant" A short video looking at how these ground breaking videos were made shooting the nanotech sculptures of Jonty Hurwitz ](/blog/the-making-of-fragile-giant) ## Academic Citations Cited in peer-reviewed academic publications — across art, science and human-computer interaction. ![Cover of Advanced Materials, Vol. 28, Issue 9 — March 2016, featuring The Fragile Giant.](https://wdrxdfvnnrdahkzifhxs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/blog-assets/snippets/bc212595-87e2-4fc6-a9c3-2fecd31b392f/gallery/01-advanced-materials.png?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) _The Fragile Giant_ has been the subject of peer-reviewed research across materials science, art theory and human-computer interaction scholarship. A selection of the English-language papers that reference this work: 1\. **Nanoart: Art on the Nanoscale and Beyond — Cover Feature** — _Advanced Materials_ (Wiley), Vol. 28, Issue 9, 2016. The cover image illustrates _The Fragile Giant_ by Jonty Hurwitz. [Read paper](https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/adma.201670056) 2\. **Supporting the Experience of Empathy and Attentiveness Through an Ontology of Augmented Reality Art** — D. Li & G. C. van der Veer, in _Human Computer Interaction and Emerging Technologies_ (OAPEN), 2020. Discusses _The Fragile Giant_ as "the smallest nano-sculpture in history" in the context of nano-art and animal protection. [Read paper](https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/39716/1/human-computer-interaction-and-emerging-technologies.pdf?status=activate#page=252) 3\. **Beyond Interactions** — J. A. Nocera, A. Parmaxi, M. Winckler, F. Loizides et al., 17th IFIP TC.13 International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (INTERACT 2019), Springer, 2020. References _The Fragile Giant_ in its survey of nano-printing art, nano-sculpture and nano-animation. [Read paper](https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-030-46540-7.pdf) Browse the full citation graph on [Google Scholar](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=jonty+hurwitz+nano+%22fragile+giant%22&btnG=). Read more ↓ ## Filmed inside a Scanning Electron Microscope Ground-breaking film created in a Scanning Electron Microscope — in collaboration with Stefan Diller, Würzburg, Germany. ![In the studio with Stefan Diller — filming the nano sculpture inside a Scanning Electron Microscope, Würzburg, Germany.](https://wdrxdfvnnrdahkzifhxs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/blog-assets/snippets/5d9c5290-f2df-4987-b8c3-9eb95276ec2b/gallery/01-sem-lab.jpg?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) This revolutionary filming technique draws on the early days of the film industry, using stop-frame photography to painstakingly create a moving image. Using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) at high magnification, hundreds of images of the nano sculpture were captured as a Piezo stage was rotated to a precision of below one ten-thousandth of a degree. Each individual frame can take several minutes to capture — meaning a single second of film can take up to four hours to shoot. A painstakingly detailed process, in which any micro-blip means starting again from scratch. All of this is achieved with a ground-breaking optical system developed by Stefan Diller in Würzburg, Germany, called _Nanoflight.Creator_ — the only system in the world capable of SEM film. At this scale, the very act of observation alters the subject. Electrons fired at the sculpture behave less like particles and more like waves of probability — a reminder that the quantum world refuses to sit still for its portrait. Each resulting film is minted as a one-of-one NFT — a permanent, on-chain record of a moment that took weeks to capture and only seconds to witness. Read more ↓ ## A Unique Microscope and Stage For Public Exhibitions Just as a frame gives a painting its place in the world, our custom microscope and stage give the nano sculptures a way to be seen. They transform the invisible into an interactive encounter, allowing viewers to navigate and engage with the work in real time. ![A Unique Microscope and Stage For Public Exhibitions](https://wdrxdfvnnrdahkzifhxs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/blog-assets/snippets/44444444-cccc-4d44-aaaa-444444444444/gallery/1779889718638-vgy7vx-Scope-floating.webp?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) ### Unique Microscope Designed for the Fragile Giant Sculpture ![Visitors at the Nano Barroco exhibition.](https://wdrxdfvnnrdahkzifhxs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/blog-assets/snippets/44444444-cccc-4d44-aaaa-444444444444/01-barroco.jpg?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) ![A Unique Microscope and Stage For Public Exhibitions](https://wdrxdfvnnrdahkzifhxs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/blog-assets/snippets/44444444-cccc-4d44-aaaa-444444444444/gallery/1779886959759-fn2put-41b74151-cb1e-4f83-ab66-8b31e9430aa9.webp?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) ### Stage The microscope stage lets you move the sculpture around ![A Unique Microscope and Stage For Public Exhibitions](https://wdrxdfvnnrdahkzifhxs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/blog-assets/snippets/44444444-cccc-4d44-aaaa-444444444444/gallery/1779886960792-vblbyy-eca9a29c-e2ef-49b0-8a28-1280387059a6.webp?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) ![A Unique Microscope and Stage For Public Exhibitions](https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/2162014219-560acf9f00863405788d158f394f2ab9c753f4dfc40c63e3412a1f456e1e5f0c-d?region=us_640.jpg) ### The Stage ![A Unique Microscope and Stage For Public Exhibitions](https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/2162011638-42da8dfccaa661904737c81af6ea78e531144591a27a2896187a178d42df83cb-d?region=us_640.jpg) ### Looking through the Microscope ![A Unique Microscope and Stage For Public Exhibitions](https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/2162014520-a2f52cf31326a00cdf251aa7954b2ef594a0b25214eaa7ca1afbc8ff67c81fa7-d?region=us_640.jpg) ### Is It Dust? Developed in collaboration with optical engineer Budd Wentz and precision instrument specialist Stephan Diller, the custom microscope and interactive stage were conceived as an integral part of the nano sculpture experience itself. More than a viewing device, the system transforms the act of observation into an intimate encounter with a world beyond ordinary perception. Engineered specifically for the demands of museum-grade usage, the microscope enables viewers to navigate the artwork dynamically — shifting perspective, adjusting position, and exploring the piece in real time through a responsive mechanical stage. The result is not a passive act of looking, but an active journey through a hidden landscape measured in microns. Read more ↓ ## Guinness World Record A team of Guinness World Record officiators visited us at the Karlsruhe institute to independently verify and measure together with scientists. ![Guinness World Record](https://wdrxdfvnnrdahkzifhxs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/blog-assets/snippets/ed794ea5-606e-422e-af83-ee7ef3eaaf15/gallery/1779885514380-vd9z4i-guinness-book-of-records-fragile-giant.webp?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) ### Guinness World Record The smallest animal sculpture is "Fragile Giant" measuring 0.157 mm in height. ## Endangered elephants African elephant populations have fallen from an estimated 12 million a century ago to some 400,000 today. Ivory-seeking poachers killed 100,000 African elephants in just three years. Fragile Giant is a quiet protest at the smallest possible scale. ![Confiscated elephant tusks at the National Wildlife Property Repository. Photograph: Kate Brooks / Redux.](https://wdrxdfvnnrdahkzifhxs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/blog-assets/snippets/77777777-cccc-4d77-aaaa-777777777777/tusks.jpg?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) African elephant populations have fallen from an estimated 12 million a century ago to some 400,000 today. Ivory-seeking poachers killed 100,000 African elephants in just three years. Fragile Giant is a quiet protest at the smallest possible scale. ## Some Other Thoughs [ ![Technology and The Arts](https://img.youtube.com/vi/UymYD6bd8So/maxresdefault.jpg) September 4, 2015 ### Technology and The Arts Academic Paper written and presented by Mark Konewko, Marquette University, Wisconsen, USA. ](/blog/technology-and-the-arts-current-works-of-eric-whitacre-and-jonty-hurwitz) [ ![Interview with Jonty Hurwitz the man behind the "Worlds Smallest 3D Prints"](https://img.youtube.com/vi/elIAt6BGvzY/maxresdefault.jpg) November 19, 2014 ### Interview with Jonty Hurwitz the man behind the "Worlds Smallest 3D Prints" Interview with Jonty Hurwitz the man behind the Worlds Smallest 3D Prints ](/blog/interview-with-jonty-hurwitz-the-man-behind-the-worlds-smallest-3d-prints) ## You might also like [ ![Jonty Hurwitz & Yifat Davidoff, From the Other Side, Stainless Steel, Aluminium, Cotton Paper & Ink, 2024](https://fgxztnkqkimoutnckwrs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/edition-images/edition-1fa25d32-d756-4c65-9cf3-047968ba6395-compressed-1778676339873.jpg?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) From the Other Side Stainless Steel, Aluminium, Cotton Paper & Ink Print Edition ](/edition/from-the-other-side) [ ![Jonty Hurwitz & Yifat Davidoff, Elephant: Journey of the Vanishing Giant, Stainless Steel, Aluminium, Cotton Paper & Ink, 2020](https://fgxztnkqkimoutnckwrs.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/edition-images/edition-d6b2fa72-aaa0-4985-8fe2-7e758625547a-compressed-1779657308615.jpg?width=1024&quality=80&resize=contain) Elephant: Journey of the Vanishing Giant Stainless Steel, Aluminium, Cotton Paper & Ink Print Edition ](/edition/elephant-journey-of-the-vanishing-giant) [ ![Jonty Hurwitz & Yifat Davidoff, Contentment in Solitude , Stainless Steel, Aluminium, Cotton Paper & Ink, 2024](https://fgxztnkqkimoutnckwrs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/edition-images/edition-3b32d19e-9856-4fbf-b307-1fdac0cebb19-thumb-1779669473254.webp) Contentment in Solitude Stainless Steel, Aluminium, Cotton Paper & Ink Print Edition ](/edition/contentment-in-solitude) [View all editions](/) ## Contact for information, pricing and availability Re: Fragile Giant First Name \* Last Name \* Email \* Phone Message \* Notification preferencesI want to be notified when new pieces are created I want to be notified when the NFT collections are ready Submit [](https://www.facebook.com/ontyhurwitzart)[](https://www.instagram.com/jontyhurwitzart/)[](https://wa.me/447469152288)