They stand 9.58mm tall, 16mm wide, and are hollow on the inside. Yet a handful of these seemingly trivial bricks can open the door into a world of never ending possibilities. Inspiring creativity and problem solving in children and adults alike, LEGO proves that in a world of plastic, no one encourages imagination like they do.
It astonishes me how far LEGO has come. From a simple brick to anything you can think of, LEGO offers a limitless experience. As a small kid, I remember opening a LEGO box and getting unbelievably excited that it included a window that actually opened and bickering with my sisters over who got to use that single three-stemmed plant with the red flowers. Now, walking through the store aisles of a LEGO provider, I still relive that feeling of anticipation upon picking up a Classic Builder Kit that features ‘many doors and windows’. Plants and trees now come in a multitude of colours, shapes, and styles. In a sea of unique and themed pieces, the plain LEGO squares have become a Classic line.
This weekend, Bricktober 2017 brings the magic of LEGO to Curtin Stadium in their annual exhibition. Inside the exhibition, thousands of bricks are brought together in amazing examples of creativity and engineering. From astonishingly detailed themed displays showcasing Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and Pirates to completely original masterpieces that challenge the very realms of invention – there is something to captivate everyone’s inner child.
Being the geek that I am, I was particularly entranced with the unbelievably accurate model of Atlantis out of Stargate, as well as the accompanying Earth spaceships Daedalus and Prometheus. There are even little F302’s! What struck me as most incredible in this display was that no instructions (or likely anything remotely similar) exist for these. The artist would have had to be deconstruct every little piece from images out of the TV series and reconstruct them out of LEGO. Mind-blowing!
Another favourite of mine was the beautiful Japan Dreaming display. This display shows women in Kimono strolling beneath cherry blossom trees, Kendo enthusiasts and Sumo-wrestlers sparring with each other, and an old man fishing serenely from the river that cascades down from a mountain upon which a magnificent Japanese temple stands. This LEGO display was particularly peaceful, but I think what I liked most about it was how it captured the essence of Japanese beauty so effortlessly.
Honestly, there were so many great displays there that it was very difficult to pick a favourite. I’m still arguing with myself. Many of the more detailed displays could easily take up ten minutes of your time just by themselves – and with over a hundred displays and interactive play areas for kids, this exhibition is well worth the time. Tickets are very affordable too: $10 a person, or $30 for a group of 4.
Bricktober 2017 will be at Curtin Stadium, Kent Street, Bentley for the rest of the weekend. You do have to book online – there are no door sales – and the last booking time is 3:30pm on Sunday so be sure to get in quickly so not to miss out. Book at http://www.bricktober.info/booking-2017/.
Even more LEGO!:
H. J. Stephens 