These Miniature Ceiling Scenes Turn Our Everyday World Upside Down

Oh what a feeling, when you spot a vignette on the ceiling. Apologies to Lionel Richie, but our minds were actually dancing with delight when we came across artist Ji Lee’s Parallel World project on Instagram recently — a perspective-shifting public art installation where he places tiny furniture scenes inconspicuously in the top corners of actual rooms.

The communication designer and creative director (currently at Facebook, formerly at Google) has been known for his “guerrilla” public art installations since the early aughts, which — like Parallel World — turn our dialogue and perspectives upside-down. (#sorrynotsorry.)

In his March 6th Instagram, Lee writes that “Ceilings are the deadest, most ignored spaces these days. I make these tiny installations so when people do decide to look up, they can smile.” And smile we did, from the miniature art museum scene to the miniature vintage schoolhouse to the miniature modern living rooms.

The fascinating creative professional is truly a man of the world — born in South Korea, raised in Brazil in adolescence, then moving to New York to attend Parsons as an undergrad, where he still lives, works, teaches, and regularly speaks about design and advertising.

As HuffPost wrote back in December, the “hero street artist” is also the brain behind “Mysterabbit”, an adorable urban invention that brought miniature rabbit statues to the streets of cities across the world, as well as “Clownify Stickers”, another project intended to make people stop and smile by putting red clown noses on advertising campaigns.

Apartment Therapy had the fortune of featuring Lee’s own playful apartment back in February of 2010, which you can still peep here. View all of the artist’s personal projects on his portfolio website, PleaseEnjoy.com.