Featured image: You’re My Rainbow. Image courtesy of ZuribyShirin.
“I usually begin with a simple idea or a little story I want to bring to life, and then work backwards to figure out the mechanism that can make it happen,” Shirin Mirza said in written answers for Tingles.
In Paws and Whiskers, a cat sways its tail and licks its paw while the word “Meow” bobs beside it. Shirin Mirza describes the scene in her written interview for Tingles; the work of fitting those movements inside a fridge magnet begins with the character.
Mirza, the founder of Zuri by Shirin, traces that interest in movement to models she made when she was younger. A Ferris wheel began with skewers, paper and the breeze from a fan.
She said, “A few years later, I revisited the idea, redesigned it, and brought it to life with a motor, lights, and even photographs, transforming that childhood creation into a moving memory carousel.”
“I didn’t know the word automata back then; I was simply following my curiosity and seeing where it would take me.”
The fridge magnet gave that curiosity a place in everyday life. Mirza describes her interest in the format as an extension of her love for functional art.
She said, “There’s something particularly delightful about turning an everyday object into an unexpected moment of interaction—someone walks past the fridge, notices a tiny crank, turns it, and suddenly a little character comes to life.”
For the cat in Paws and Whiskers, that interaction depends on several movements sharing very little space. Mirza uses a two-lobed cam for the head; its follower moves the head from side to side.
She explained, “To conserve space within the compact structure, I connected the cam follower to a bell-crank at its lower end, which moves the word “Meow” up and down twice per rotation. For the slow and gentle movement of the tail, I connected the follower to a wire crank that completes one gentle wave per rotation.”
The tail’s slower rhythm gives the cat a different character from the dog in Furry Friend. Mirza says the dog wags its tail and moves its ears as “Woof” bobs alongside it; the two animals use different mechanisms.
Mirza said, “Although the movements might seem similar at first glance, they have different rhythms and qualities. Even though they look similar, they use completely different mechanisms to bring the motion to life.”
In You’re My Rainbow, Mirza faces another problem: making the rainbow rise straight up from behind clouds. In Mirza’s account, two levers guide it, with sliding joints accommodating the levers’ changing angles.
She said, “Each component must work in harmony so that a simple turn of the crank brings the little scene to life. I find this process fascinating because the mechanism is not merely a technical feature; it is what allows the story to unfold.”
That approach also shapes her choice of materials. Asked where quilling and miniature paper cutting enter the process, Mirza resists being confined to one technique.
She said, “I see myself as someone who learns whatever technique a piece requires. If I need to develop a new skill to make an idea come to life, I teach myself how to do it.”
She learned needle felting to depict animals more effectively and, at the time of the interview, was exploring miniature shuttle tatting. The idea sets the work she needs to learn.
Making a magnet useful brings another set of decisions. Mirza says she designs the pieces to be light enough to stay in place as someone turns the crank, and to operate when tilted or upside down.
She said, “The top frames are angled slightly to catch the light better and the pieces are water resistant.”
On the paper itself, she said, “Depending on the needs of each piece, I strengthen and harden the paper, use resin where required, and apply waterproofing treatments to improve its durability.”
Those choices serve the next turn of the crank, and the possibility of noticing something missed the first time. Mirza hopes people return to the small differences in movement that give each character its personality.
She said, “I love the idea that someone might initially enjoy the movement, then return to the piece and gradually discover these subtleties. If it makes them pause, notice something new, and smile, I feel that the piece has done its job.”
Explore Mirza’s work at ZuribyShirin and on Instagram at @zuri.by.shirin.