posted 03-09-2015 06:23 PM               

The pair painstakingly recreate each scene in miniature using paper, cotton balls, plastic — and plenty of time. Some take a few days, others a few weeks.

Cortis and Sonderegger call the series Iconen because the images are instantly recognizable to photographers and casual viewers alike. Most of them possess a solemn reverence, though some have an undeniable sense of whimsy or awe, like the Loch Ness monster or Buzz Aldrin’s footstep in moon dust. Their final images always pull back from the scene to provide a glimpse of the studio and the materials used: a roll of tape here, a glue gun there. They want viewers to know they’re having fun.

Making of AS11-40-5878, 2014. Original photo by Edwin Aldrin, 1969.