There is something mesmerising about watching snails eating pancakes at the breakfast table, try to break a piñata or divine the secrets of the spiritual realm on a Ouija board. Aleia Murawski and Sam Copeland have created a retro world on the anthropomorphic account @Aleia, where snails play out all too familiar situations.“I think it’s surprisingly comforting to see a snail act out something we usually only see ourselves being able to do,” Murawski, 29, tells SLEEK over email. “They become these little extensions of us, and little reminders that we aren’t alone.”
The genesis of the account came roughly four years ago from a love of interior design and through the process of happy accident. Murawski had been collecting vintage interior design books from the 1970s and ’80s – which accounts for the pink-toned kitsch décor and warm lighting choices featured in the snail shots – and started to acquire an interest in building miniature sets. Around the same time, Copeland had found snails in his parents’ back yard and decided to keep them in a terrarium. The two soon discovered that the sets they were creating were the perfect size for their new pets and the account grew from there.
What makes the sets particularly mesmerising are the cult objects they feature such as heart-shaped bathtubs, clamshell beds and giant champagne coupe. For this Murawski, takes a lot of inspiration from films. “I recently got a book with behind-the-scenes images from ’80s movies like Star Wars and Poltergeist,” she says. “We love movies that utilise miniatures and practical effects. It’s inspiring to see how the sets are constructed or visual effects were made.”
But despite the flawless appearance of the scenes, working with snail-sized interiors isn’t always easy. “The most difficult part of working with snail-sized objects is how precarious each scene is. We sometimes spend hours meticulously placing miniatures into a scene, and often one of us will bump the table and all the little parts will scatter everywhere”, Murawski adds. Her secret tip for getting the snails to look like they know how to interact with the objects on set: cucumber. Turns out that snails have a pretty good sense of smell and will try to find little pieces of vegetable hidden behind sets.
Although Murawski has enjoyed success on Instagram, she says that she eventually wants to take the snail shots analogue and come out with a book of her images. In the meantime, @aleia provides a necessary dose of New Year escapism.