Lego Brickworks: A world first public exhibition with ten creative personalities inspired by play

As the latest initiative to celebrate 50 years of the Lego brick in Australia, Lego Australia has collaborated with ten creative personalities including Romance Was Born and Adriano Zumbo to construct Lego Brickworks.

Lego Brickworks is an exhibition of unique artworks, all made entirely from the iconic interlocking bricks. Creative Australians from a variety of industries were invited to take part by submitting their own distinct design inspired by ‘play’ to be turned into Lego brick mosaics.

To devise an innovative way to showcase the elaborate creations, Lego Australia worked in partnership with JCDecaux Australia to create ten bespoke acrylic panels. The panels, each scaling up to 1.1m in height, will host the LEGO artworks in bus shelters in and around Macquarie Street from Tuesday, May 29 to Monday, June 4- LEGOfestival.com.au, the central hub of the national campaign, will soon reveal a location map and extra information about the Lego Brickworks exhibition.

Each design was inspired by the artists’ take on ‘play’, with Melbourne’s Ryan McNaught, one of only 13 Lego Certified Professionals in the world, and his team of skillful helpers constructing the final pieces from almost 300,000 Lego bricks over the course of three weeks.

Says Max Eburne, general manager of sales and marketing at JCDecaux Australia: “We are proud to be pushing the boundaries of creativity in out-of-home advertising with this incredible 3-D Lego brand campaign.

“Together, JCDecaux Australia and the Lego brand, which is synonymous with ‘play’, have taken fun to the streets of Sydney.  There has been a large amount of consumer excitement and enthusiasm already generated by the Lego Festival of Play and JCDecaux Australia are thrilled to be part of this celebration.”

Lego Brickworks is the latest activation to be announced as part of this year’s Lego Festival of Play, an integrated brand campaign devised by One Green Bean and Host, which is made up of a series of digital, social and experiential events all paying homage to the humble Lego brick and its 50-year milestone.

Following the success of the spontaneous and colourful Lego Forest last month, which saw the installation of 15 life-size Lego ‘pine’ trees and flower sets in Sydney’s Martin Place, Lego Brickworks will create a new free Lego experience for Aussies of all ages.

Sydneysiders and visitors will get a second opportunity to see these world first creations when they take residence at the Powerhouse Museum from June 15 to July 30, before the exhibition embarks on a tour of regional museums.

Says Caroline Squire, director of marketing, Lego Australia and New Zealand: “It’s fantastic to have such a talented and diverse range of Aussie creatives on board for the latest Festival of Play initiative. The unique outcome from each person showcases the Lego brick’s ability to fuel creativity and imagination.

“As with all Festival of Play activities, we’re tapping into and celebrating the nation’s fond Lego memories, its appeal to adults and children alike and its relevance 50 years on.”

WHERE TO SEE THE LEGO BRICKWORKS EXHIBITION:  

Macquarie Street, Sydney, May 29 to June 4

Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, June 15 to July 30

Newcastle Museum, August 4 to September 7

Ipswich Art Gallery, September 12 to October 10

WHO:

Look out for designs from…

Romance Was Born – fashion designers

Benja Harney – paper engineer

Simplesime – tattoo artist/illustrator

Fiona Dalwood – animator

Dinosaur Designs – designers

Kitiya Palaskas – craft-based designer

Saffron Craig – surface designer

Adriano Zumbo – patissier

Max Treffkorn – 6 year old child artist

Louise Whelan – photographer