Here Now, the Tiny, Tortured Rooms of 19th-Century Novels

For her "Houses of Fiction" series, Canadian artist and photographer Julia Callon gleans inspiration from the tortured works of early feminist writers, crafting a visual representation the tightly bound, composed environments that confined 19th-century female protagonists. Callon, like many other diorama artists, is fascinated with warping domestic spheres, and says the crux of the series relies on "the dichotomous representation of women" as either mad or sane, so each scene is split amongst two dioramas: the gilded setting that's the reality and the chaotic den that the women perceive. Callon sticks to classics like Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, stories in which the protagonists see their domestic surroundings as symbols of the lack of control they have over their own lives. (Have those memories of high school Brit lit flooded back yet?) Anyway, above is the red room of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. As a child, orphan Jane is locked up in the haunted room as punishment. The terror and helplessness she feels at confinement is portrayed as a room gushing with crimson waves. Find more of Callon's work below.

· 'Houses of Fiction': Striking, Psychologically Rich Dioramas Inspired by 19th-Century Women Novelists [Flavorwire]
· Here Now, Stunning Post-Apocalyptic Rooms Done in Mini [Curbed National]
· Julia Callon's 'Houses of Fiction' [Official Site]