Tibor first started to consider creating Hungary’s historic bridge of headless safety matches after a company requested that he provide a unique artwork of this kind that depicts a major Magyar landmark. “Initially, I was planning to build the miniature version of the Parliament, but that had already been constructed by someone else,” says the artist in an interview with Hungarian news site beol.hu. “I also thought about the Fishermen’s Bastion, but in the end I decided on the Chain Bridge, as it proved to be a greater challenge... I had to study the bridge’s entire construction, and once I understood the whole structure I had to adapt the plans to be able to build the span using matches. Oftentimes, I got fresh ideas and inspirations before I went to bed or while being under the shower, so then I had to make an instant sketch of a new structural model.”
After extensive calculations and planning, Tibor started building the model’s base using plywood and pinewood, before sorting through the matches to select those that were the smoothest. The artist then had to cut, place, and carve the matches, before he recut them to be able to assemble the completed parts. Finally, he did the necessary corrections to create a truly inventive work of art.
While, we don’t have any information about any place and time when this matchless model of the Chain Bridge will be on view, the artist’s depiction of Gyula Castle is on view inside the very monument that the artwork illustrates.
