THE ART OF THE BRICK

Legos in Their Most Creative Form.

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The Perot Museum of Nature and Science never fails to bring us exhibits that excite us and bring us closer to the world of science. From the Journey to Space exhibit to the Ultimate Dinosaurs exhibit, the Art of Brick exhibit is no different. The Art of Brick is the world’s largest and most elaborate exhibit made completely out of Legos. The Art of Brick will be in the museum from February 23 all the way until August 18. Having the exhibit in place this long gives visitors plenty of time to experience the amazing art and science of Legos.

Legos may seem like a crazy and random thing to center a science and nature exhibit around, but when you look into the history and how these modern day toys were made, you will see they are an intricate part of building and architecture. The Lego company actually started in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen. Through the years, the company has been kept in the family and is now run by Ole Kirk Kristiansen’s grandson, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen. The idea behind project Lego is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow. The fact that this project has lasted this long and has now been named the “Toy of the Century” is amazing for the brand and the future of kids.

The idea behind this masterpiece was to give people an inside look and inspire people about the amazing art of Legos by recreating some of the world’s most famous and well-known art pieces. Artist Nathan Sawaya was able to reimagine world-renowned pieces such as Van Gogh’s Starry Night,  Johannes Vermeer Girl with a Pearl Earring, and even a replication of the Moai statues seen as Easter Island. I visited this exhibit earlier this week, and it truly changed my perspective on how intricate and delicate this type of work is. Along with some of the very famous pieces being reinvented, I really enjoyed some of the pieces that were not as well-known but had a lot of meaning and heart just from the first look. I feel that a lot of these pieces were created to have a different meaning for every person who sees them. One of my favorite pieces had to be the 20 foot long T-Rex skeleton.

I was shocked when I walked into the showroom that held this unbelievable giant made entirely out of Legos. (I knew that I had to snap a pic of this for my 6-year-old brother, who loves dinosaurs!) Throughout the exhibit, you are walking through different types of pieces, and the whole production of your experience there really pulls the whole exhibit together.  The artists really did a great job of changing the mood from one piece to another with the help of lights, music, and scenery. At the end of your journey through the exhibit, there is a hands-on interactive center called “The Science of the Brick.” This center allows you to unleash your inner architect and artist with different building challenges, games, and open building centers to let your creativity flow.

This exhibit is so difficult to explain in just one article. This exhibit is an experience in itself. I commend the artist Nathan Sawaya for the hard work and dedication I know this project took to accomplish. The patience it took to intricately build every piece to such a specification is beyond me. I urge you to take the time and go with your friends or family and see how incredible the Art of the Brick really is.