LEGO "play well" Modified
From Mod Mania
¬¬¬¬¬LEGO “Play Well” ¬¬¬¬LEGO is something we are all familiar with, and we have all played with LEGO at some stages of our lives, mostly as a child. For those who have forgotten LEGO, LEGO is a line of construction toys manufactured by the LEGO Group. The LEGO features little plastic interlocking bricks, easily snapped together and pulled apart to construct toys. These LEGO bricks have been around as early as the 1890’s.
Over the years LEGO has changed, creating new themed Lego kits, for example ‘Harry Potter’ or the ‘Bionicles’ to accomplish the Lego Groups ideas and visions. “To inspire children to explore and challenge their own creative potential”, so thus building with LEGO bricks is about “learning through play”.
As these were the LEGO Groups ideals and visions, when a new LEGO kit was released in 1996, it caused a lot of controversy. Zbigniew Libera a polish artist born in Pabianince in 1959. Many would describe him to be one of the most interesting and important polish artists. The works of Libera would somehow play with the stereotypes of contemporary culture. During the 1990’s Libera got involved with the idea of creating objects from modifying already existing products, usually products of mass consumption, he called it “correcting devices” (Universal penis expander and Body master). Libera also transformed toys, intended to illustrate the gap between the ideal world marketed to children and the real one created by adults. The most famous and controversial piece is the “LEGO concentration camp”.
The LEGO concentration camp was made in 1996, which is made up of a set of 7 boxes. When the bricks are assembled the finished product can resemble the image of a concentration camp. The kit also featured crematories, gallows and doctors administering electric shocks to prisoners. The figurines of the prisoners (skeletons) and the doctors were taken from other LEGO kits such as “pirates" which were then slightly modified by Libera. What made this LEGO concentration camp so controversial was for its many reasons. At the time the LEGO Corporation donated thousands of LEGO pieces to artists around the world who were part of the Lego art competition; they gave Libera LEGO bricks for free without knowing the full intentions of what Libera was going to do with the bricks. At first when Libera requested for the LEGO bricks he planned to make sets for prisons and hospitals but then the project evolved into the concentration camp. He then led to include another controversial matter by adding a notice on the box kit saying, “sponsored by LEGO systems”. The LEGO group insisted they did not support his artwork, and responded by saying “If he had described his ultimate project to us in advance, he naturally would not have received a single LEGO element from us!”
Other controversial reasons such as the potential violence in the children’s toys, for LEGO are about “learning through play”. A fear of children learning horrific acts taken place at a concentration camp, this would be a bad influence on the impressionable children. Also reasons such as memory and remembering, which for many people in many countries the subject of concentration camp is a highly sensitive area of topic. And taking on the holocaust with the world’s most loved toys is out of line. This matter has said to have "split the polish art community, and has raised emotional questions about art, history, business and freedom of expression in a country still tormented by its past".
What many people didn’t seem to understand was that Libera’s play kit are only one offs and would not be distributed around the world, so his actions was frowned upon. The work today is in the collection of the Jewish museum in New York.
Forums about this specific Lego set are still active and most opinions are one sided, that his creation was a ‘bad’ idea. Many find the notion on re-creating a very dark part of history through a child’s toy. Others thought that it was a sick joke and a fake. Very rarely would you find one who supports it, but some of these people in these forums think that the concept of ‘learning through play’ would educate children further about this part in history, rather than only being ‘told’ about it.
There are also other LEGO works displayed in museums/galleries, displaying artist’s works, which have taken LEGO bricks to another level. Artists using LEGO bricks as their art medium. An example of this is artist Nathan Sawaya. Like the most of us Nathan Sawaya’s first encounter with LEGO was when he was a child. From getting his first set of bricks, he soon transformed his living room into a “LEGO city”. In his city is where his creativity and imagination blossomed.
It wasn’t until 2004 when Sawaya come to national attention as a talented artist, when he won a national wide search for a professional LEGO master builder. Competition sponsored by the LEGO Group. Sawaya then quit his job as a Wall St attorney to pursue his passion for art (using LEGO as his medium). Sawaya’s LEGO work is in such exceptionally high levels that even the “LEGO Group recognizes his efforts and have the ability to not only use the LEGO name and copyrighted logo, but have earned an in-depth relationship with the company”. There are also 5 more artists in the world that has those recognitions also.
Nathan Sawaya makes incredible artwork with LEGO pieces. He creates works from sculptures to oversized mosaic portraits that would require thousands of Lego bricks. His artwork has captured the audience’s attention from all ages around the world. When his work as he calls it “The art of the brick” exhibited at the Lancaster museum art in Pennsylvania, nearly as many people visited the all-LEGO art show as attended the museum in a given year. Sawaya has caught the audience’s attention in amazement. And also receives commission from individuals and corporations.
Here we see the light and shade between these 2 artists. On one hand the community and the general public supports the work of Nathan Sawaya. On the other hand the works of Zbigniew Libera caused up a stir in the community and to the general public.
On a different side of many LEGO enthusiasts, take LEGO onto another level. Many of them make “brick film” also known as “Legomation”. To put it simply a series of short movies or a recreation of feature films using LEGO bricks. Some even create webcomics, which is the use of LEGO features to make a comic, which is illustrated photographically.
Forum groups are currently active across the Internet, where a topic surrounding creations made of Lego is discussed and critiqued. There are also conventions and fairs where ‘Lego activists’ come together and show off their creations. Through this, there are websites and forums made dedicated to these events where people come together to talk about the pieces exhibited.
I have found a website dedicated to different Lego sets and events with images and information that is open for opinions with a comments section which becomes the forum. (http://seehere.blogspot.com/2005/05/lego-links-2.html ) This website includes links which direct the user to different blog pages where a topic is raised and discussed. For example, there are ones on Harry Potter and links to Lego related Youtube videos.
One dominant website that found is www.lugnet.com. It promotes itself as the ‘International fan-created Lego Users Group Network’. After exploring the website, I clicked on the forum link which took me to a page that presented me with an abundance of links directing me to different topics and forums. Across the top of the page, there is a contents of categories, each containing a numerous amount of forums.
I randomly selected a category (education) and looked through its contents. I found the layout confusing, but after a while I figured it out. Each link was a person’s post or response to another person’s post. When I clicked on one of them, The page was presented as –response,- original post,- then a link to any previous threads (conversation between these two or others on this topic).
Another section which directs the user to a specific forum is what the website calls ‘spotlight’ where a recent and most relevant topic is discussed. In their words, “Below is a list of all the LUGNET discussion group messages which have appeared during the past 7 days and which carry composite highlight recommendations of 50 or higher (maximum 100). Extra precedence is given to announcements and lower to administravia, market, and off-topic messages. This list is updated once hourly, at 5 minutes before the hour.”
I chose one and it was about the appearance of Lego on a program called Mythbusters. In this, the poster talks about an episode she has seen where the show shows a Youtube video of a 7ft diameter Lego ball made of 5 million pieces rolling down a San Francisco street and crashing into a car without damaging it. He then advises those who have not seen it and who are interested to visit the discovery channel and watch it. A replier to his post has obviously watched the video and adds more information about Youtube also showing this video and as to where the next viewer should keep an eye out (time) for a better explanation in the video.
This website does not only contain forums though. On their home page, they have links directing to ‘Members pages’, ‘Events’, shortcuts and others categorized in ‘Helpful links’. The users of this website can buy and sell pieces of Lego amongst themselves and find Lego communities in their area.
Information about upcoming events is posted on the bulletin board and in the ‘Events’ link. One of these link to a page where someone has posted about a community Lego building contest. In this there are categories in which the communities can build their Lego around.
Contest Categories
1. Bignette: this is a scene which fits on up to 4 32x32 baseplates in any order and contains at least ONE of the following: an identifiable model built using Brickmania instructions/kit or custom elements from BrickArms or Brickforge.
2. Vignette: this can be on a 6x6 to 12x12 plate and must be in the parameters of the plate you choose, and can be for anything you design within rules. Custom parts not mandatory but encouraged.
3. Custom minifig: this will be a minifig you designed and can use any parts from LEGO, BrickForge, BrickArms, Fine Clonier, etc. or your own customization. Model must be at least recognizable as being 51% LEGO parts.
4. World War (I or II): this is a custom model or scene you designed based on subjects from either World War.
5. Castle or Ancient: this is a custom model or scene you designed based on something castle era or earlier.
6. Pirates or Colonials: this is a custom model or scene you designed based on Pirate theme or anything from the “Colonial Age.”
7. Modern Era: this is a custom model or scene you designed based on something in the modern era.
8. Space and Future: this can be any futuristic type ship, scene or other model.
9. Customized Brickmania kit or instructions: This will be a model you have customized from a Brickmania design model. Be sure to reference which Brickmania kit your model is based on.
As you can see, there is an extensive range in which these communities can build around. Thus the result of this contest would create more forums and blogs based around some of the sculptures and scenes entered into the competition.
Lego is prominently known as a ‘child’s’ toy, but as seen through forums, it can be used as art forms, and adults use it to. Maybe not for the same reasons as a child would, but really, it’s the same in which they both create something out of tiny rectangular blocks which have intentions behind them.
LEGO has now become more than just bricks.
http://www.gunsnet.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-348889.html
http://bzpower.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/www.foxkids.co.uk/t66091.html
